FirstService and Collier add market share

Article Excerpt

These two firms, which provide a variety of specialized real estate services, are hitting new all-time highs. That’s partly due to acquisitions that expand their market share and attract new clients. We feel both can move even higher as falling interest rates spur construction and renovation activity. FIRSTSERVICE CORP. $253 is a buy for aggressive investors. The company (Toronto symbol FSV; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 45.1 million; Market cap: $11.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 0.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.firstservice.com) has two main businesses: FirstService Brands (55% of revenue) offers a wide variety of property management services through several franchised businesses, including Paul Davis Restoration and CertaPro Painters; and FirstService Residential (45%) provides property management services such as collecting monthly condominium fees and maintenance services. FirstService operates in a highly fragmented industry, so it tends to fuel its growth with acquisitions. It cuts the risk of this strategy by focusing on smaller businesses that expand its market share and geographic…