Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What do you think of Glacier Media as a stock?

Article Excerpt

A: Glacier Media Inc., $0.63, symbol GVC on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 110.0 million; Market cap: $69.3 million; www.glaciermedia.ca), publishes community newspapers in Western Canada, as well as trade magazines and specialty/technical publications for professionals across North America. The company’s Community Media business (mainly newspapers) accounts for roughly 60% of its revenue. Business Information publications, databases and tradeshows supply the remaining 40%. Glacier gets 90% of its revenue from Canada and 10% from the U.S. The company has a long history of expanding through acquisitions. In early 2011, it bought 15 trade magazines from Rogers Communications, including Canadian Contractor, Canadian Manufacturing Online, Canadian Metalworking, Canadian Packaging, Canadian Plastics, Hardware Merchandising, Fraser’s Directory and The Northern Miner. In November of that year, it purchased a number of B.C. newspapers from the Postmedia Network for $86.5 million. They include the Victoria Times Colonist, Alberni Valley Times, Nanaimo Daily News and roughly 20 community publications. Thanks to these acquisitions, Glacier’s revenue rose 23.4%, from $267.4 million in 2011…