Topic: Growth Stocks

Stock Pickers Digest Hotline – Friday, July 17, 2009

Article Excerpt

ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD, $16.50, symbol ATD.B on Toronto, rose over 20% this week after it reported sharply higher earnings in the latest quarter. In the three months ended April 26, 2009, Couche-Tard’s earnings rose 145.2%, to $38 million, or $0.20 a share, from $15.5 million, or $0.08 a share, a year earlier. (All figures except share price in U.S. dollars.) The higher earnings were mainly the result of acquisitions, higher profit margins on gasoline, a rise in same-store merchandise revenue, lower operating expenses and growing same-store gasoline volume in Canada. Lower gas prices in the U.S. and Canada drove down revenue by 19.2%, to $3 billion from $3.7 billion. Couche-Tard has more than 3,000 convenience stores in the U.S., and is the largest convenience-store operator in Canada, with over 2,000 outlets. The Canadian stores operate under the Couche-Tard and Mac’s banners, while the U.S. stores mainly use the Circle K brand. Couche-Tard sells fuel at 65% of its 4,000 company-operated stores. Acquisitions are a..