ALIMENTATION COUCHETARD $44.55 (Toronto symbol ATD.B; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-361-2612; www.couchetard. com; Shares outstanding: 565.8 million; Market cap: $25.4 billion; Dividend yield: 0.4%) is buying The Pantry (symbol PTRY on Nasdaq), which operates more than 1,500 convenience stores in 13 southern U.S. states.
Couche-Tard will pay $1.7 billion—$ 860 million in cash and the assumption of $840 million of debt. This is its biggest purchase since it paid $2.7 billion U.S. for Norway’s Statoil Fuel & Retail gas station chain in June 2012.
Founded in 1967, The Pantry mainly grew through acquisitions beginning in the late 1980s. Like Couche-Tard, it focuses on selling higher-margin fresh food. It sells its own private-label bottled water and is the fifth-largest location for Subway restaurants.
Growth by acquisition can be risky, especially with a deal this big. But Couche-Tard has a long record of successfully integrating acquisitions.
Couche-Tard was our #1 buy for 2012. It has risen over 347% for us since then, but we think it has more gains ahead.
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Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
The Successful Investor Inc. and its affiliate Successful Investor Wealth Management (referred to hereafter as TSI Network) know that you care how information about you is used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. This notice describes our privacy policy. By visiting websites owned by or associated with TSI Network, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
This privacy policy is applicable to all TSI Network Visitors, Clients, Employees, Suppliers, Web sites, Management, and all other interested parties. Any links to or from our site are not covered by this policy. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of every site that you visit.
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We do not collect or disclose personal information, except when it is provided to us voluntarily by the site/store visitor with their consent.
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We are continuously in the process of improving our sites and services. If any new features or policies require a change to this current policy, we will post a clear notice of this change on pages of our site where the privacy policy appears. The principle behind this privacy policy is to collect information with your knowledge and consent.
What personal information do we collect?
The information we receive from customers helps us personalize and continually improve your online experience at TSI Network. TSI Network may collect personal information online for all legal purposes, which include, but are not limited to:
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Changes to this Policy
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