Topic: How To Invest

Mr. McKeough: Would you give me your analysis and recommendation for K-Bro Linen? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

K-Bro Linen, $20.86, symbol KBL on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 7.0 million; Market cap: $149.1 million; www.k-brolinen.com), is Canada’s largest owner and operator of laundry and linen-processing facilities. The company first began trading publicly as an income trust in February 2005, at $10 per unit. K-Bro Linen Income Fund converted to a corporation on January 1, 2011. K-Bro processes more than 180 million pounds of linen from its seven plants across Canada. It gets about 75% of its revenue from customers in the health-care field. The rest comes from hospitality clients, such as hotels. K-Bro will benefit from two long-term trends: an aging population that needs more hospital and long-term care, and the trend toward outsourcing laundry. Stable cash flow from the company’s health-care clients adds further appeal. The company has a good reputation, which will help it fight off new competition. As well, it is moving to a new Calgary facility with the most up-to-date equipment available. K-Bro operates in a highly…