The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, Feb. 28, edition that Scotia Capital analyst Phil Hardie has reaffirmed his "sector outperform" recommendation for Guardian Capital Group. The Globe's David Leeder writes in the Eye On Equities column that Mr. Hardie trimmed his share target by $2 to $58. Analysts on average target the shares at $57. Mr. Hardie says in a note: "Guardian's sizable corporate investment portfolio likely provides a high degree of optionality for value creation which could potentially double the share price over the next few years. With the stock trading below the value of its corporate investment portfolio and little or no value ascribed to its asset management business, Guardian remains our top small-cap value idea. Management outlined several key financial objectives for the next five years, focusing on profitability and capital allocation strategies to drive shareholder value. The objectives included a goal of doubling the current annual operating earnings from its core investment management segment within the next five years. The team plans to accomplish this by diversifying its earnings across multiple strategies and solutions, client segments, and geographies."