Topic: How To Invest
Spinoffs & Takeovers Hotline – Friday, December 20, 2024
AGNICO EAGLE MINES LTD., $112.41, symbol AEM on Toronto, owns currently producing gold mines in Canada, Australia, Finland and Mexico.
Specifically, it owns the La Ronde, Canadian Malartic, Goldex, Maccassa, Detour Lake, Meliadine, Meadowbank and Hope Bay mines in Canada. It also owns the Fosterville mine in Australia, the Kittila mine in Finland, and the Pino Altos and La India mines in Mexico.
On December 12, 2024, the company announced it had offered to acquire O3 Mining Inc. (symbol OIII on Toronto) for $204 million in cash. Agnico Eagle will pay $1.67 a share.
O3 Mining’s primary asset is the Marban Alliance property in Val d’Or, Québec, adjacent to Agnico Eagle’s Canadian Malartic complex. The Marban deposit is an exploration project that could support an open-pit mining operation like the one at the Canadian Malartic complex.
The Marban pit is estimated to contain more than 1.7 million ounces of gold in the indicated category. O3 also owns 128,000 hectares in Quebec that are undergoing exploratory work.
In the three months ended September 30, 2024, Agnico Eagle’s overall gold production rose 1.5% to 863,446 ounces from 850,429 a year earlier. The quarterly production was higher due to good results at its Nunavut operations, Macassa and Detour Lake. Those gains were partially offset by lower production at Canadian Malartic and La India.
Revenue rose 31.7% in the quarter, to $2.16 billion from $1.64 billion. Excluding one-time items, Agnico made $572.6 million, or $1.14 a share, up 165.0% from $216.1 million, or $0.44.
O3 should be a good fit for Agnico Eagle, as it will be able to use its size to accelerate the development of the Marban deposit—and use the Canadian Malartic complex to process any mined ore.
Meanwhile, Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank mine, the Hope Bay mine and the Meliadine mine are riskier than the company’s other operations because of the difficulty of operating in Canada’s Far North. Still, Agnico has substantial growth prospects and low political risk; its partnership with Teck adds to its appeal.
Like most gold stocks, the company’s shares are heavily influenced by gold prices. However, Agnico’s positive earnings and steadily rising production give it speculative appeal. The shares yield 1.9%.
OUR RECOMMENDATION: Agnico Eagle is a buy for aggressive investors who want a gold stock with growth potential.
Agnico Eagle recent coverage:
CORE & MAIN INC., $50.54, symbol CNM on New York, is a specialized distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage and fire protection products to municipalities and residential and non-residential end markets across the U.S.
The St. Louis-based company offers customers over 200,000 items covering a wide range of specialized products and services. They include pipes, valves & fittings, storm drainage and erosion control solutions, fire protection products and fabrication services, and smart metering products and technology.
Core & Main has a network of over 350 branch locations across the U.S., which helps link its 5,000-plus suppliers with its 60,000-plus customers.
The company launched its IPO in July 2021, selling shares at $20 each.
Core & Main continues to make small acquisitions to spur growth. On March 7, 2024, the company closed the acquisition of Dana Kepner Company LLC, a distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage, and geotextile products, as well as specialty tools and accessories. The purchase price has not yet been disclosed.
Based in Denver, Dana Kepner operates 19 locations across eight U.S. states, including its home state of Colorado. The distributor sells pipes, valves, fittings, water meters, and meter accessories. It has been in business since 1933.
Meanwhile, on March 25, 2024, the company announced it would acquire EGW Utilities Inc., a distributor of products to underground utility contractors and municipalities. The Texas-based company has provided products to the underground utility industry since 2001. The purchase price has not yet been disclosed.
On May 17, 2024, Core & Main completed the purchase of all the assets of the Geothermal Supply Company Inc. Geothermal Supply is a Kentucky-based distributor and fabricator of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe and other related products, serving the geothermal, water and sewer industries. The purchase price has not yet been disclosed.
In the three months ended October 27, 2024, Core & Main’s revenue was a record $2.04 billion, up 11.5% from $1.83 billion a year earlier. Revenue increased due to acquisitions and higher end-market volumes, partially offset by slightly lower selling prices. The company earned $133 million, or $0.69 a share, in the latest quarter. That was up 18.8% from $112 million, or $0.65.
Core & Main’s outlook is positive. The company continues to experience steady demand across each of its end markets and product lines.
As a recent IPO, Core & Main makes us wary—new issues come to market when it’s a good time for the company and/or its insiders to sell. That’s not necessarily, and often isn’t, a good time for you to buy.
However, the company has a strong track record in established markets and has an attractive long-term outlook.
OUR RECOMMENDATION: Core & Main is okay to hold.
Core & Main recent coverage:
PATTERSON COMPANIES INC., $30.86, symbol PDCO on Nasdaq, distributes dental and animal health products in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada. The company has two primary operating segments: Dental (37% of revenue) and Animal Health (63%).
The Dental segment offers consumable products, including infection control, restorative materials, and instruments; basic and advanced technology and dental equipment; and practice optimization solutions, such as practice management software.
The Animal Health segment distributes biologicals, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, parasiticides, diagnostics, prescription and non-prescription diets, nutritionals, consumable supplies, equipment, and value-added services.
On December 11, 2024, Patterson announced that it had agreed to be acquired by Patient Square Capital, a California-based healthcare-focused investment firm. The transaction values Patterson at $4.1 billion. On a per share basis, Patient Square is paying $31.35 in cash.
In the three months ended October 26, 2024, Patterson’s revenue was $1.67 billion, up 1.3% from $1.65 billion a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, the company earned $41.8 million, or $0.47 a share, in the quarter, down 11.6% from $47.3 million, or $0.50.
Patterson’s shares now trade below the takeover offer of $31.35. That indicates investors feel a higher bid is unlikely.
OUR RECOMMENDATION: Patterson’s shareholders should tender to the takeover offer. Note, however, that even if you do tender, you will still get any higher offer that may emerge for Patterson’s shares.
LUNDIN MINING CORPORATION, $12.35, symbol LUN on Toronto, is a Toronto-based producer of copper, zinc, gold, and nickel. It has operations and projects in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Portugal, Sweden and the U.S.
In July 2024, Lundin entered into a 50/50 joint venture partnership with BHP Group (symbol BHP on New York) to buy Filo Corp. (FIL on Toronto) for $4.1 billion. Once Lundin and BHP’s joint venture completes the acquisition in mid-2025, Filo’s Filo del Sol copper-gold-silver project and Lundin’s Josemaria copper-gold project (both in Argentina) will be owned by the joint venture.
As a result of Lundin contributing its Josemaria project to the joint venture, which will help save on costs, BHP will pay Lundin $690 million U.S. in cash.
Meanwhile, on December 9, 2024, Lundin Mining announced it had agreed to sell its Neves-Corvo mine in Portugal and its Zinkgruvan mine in Sweden for a total of $1.52 billion. The buyer is Boliden AB, a Stockholm-based mining company.
Boliden will pay $1.37 billion in cash up front, along with and potential future cash consideration of $150 million based on zinc and copper prices and production volumes at the two mines over the next three years. The Swedish mine is 167 years old, while the Portugal mine has operated since 1989.
In the quarter ended September 30, 2024, Lundin’s revenue was $1.07 billion, up 8.1% from $992.2 million a year earlier. Revenue rose primarily due to higher prices for copper, gold and zinc. Excluding one-time items, the company earned $72.5 million, or $0.09 a share, in the third quarter. That was down 15.0% from $85.3 million, or $0.11. The decline came partly from higher expenses.
Lundin continues to position itself as a major copper producer. Copper is widely used in global manufacturing and is key to making everything from smartphones to houses. The price of the metal is closely linked in China’s growth. The world’s second-largest economy consumes roughly half of the world’s copper.
Demand isn’t the only factor that will fuel copper prices: Due to a lack of new mines, long-term copper shortages could result.
The shares yield 2.9%.
OUR RECOMMENDATION: Lundin Mining is a buy for aggressive investors.
OMNICOM GROUP INC., $88.86 symbol OMC on New York, is a global advertising holding company providing advertising and marketing services to over 5,000 clients in 70 countries. Its agency brands include BBDO, TBWA, GSD&M, Antoni, and many more.
On December 9, 2024, Omnicom announced it would acquire the Interpublic Group of Companies (symbol IPG on New York) through an all-stock transaction that values the deal at $13.3 billion.
Interpublic shareholders will receive 0.344 Omnicom shares for each Interpublic share owned. Once the transaction is completed, Omnicom shareholders will own 60.6% of the combined entity, with Interpublic shareholders owning the remaining 39.4%. The merged company will trade under Omnicom’s name and the OMC stock symbol.
Omnicom CEO John Wren will be CEO of the new Omnicom, while Interpublic CEO Philippe Krakowsky and COO Daryl Simm will serve as co-presidents and chief operating officers.
In the quarter ended September 30, 2024, Omnicom’s revenue was $3.88 billion, up 8.5% from $3.58 billion a year earlier. Revenue increased due to a 6.5% increase in internal sales and a 2.1% contribution from acquisitions. Excluding one-time items, the company earned $402.3 million, or $2.03 a share, in the third quarter, 4.9% higher than $383.5 million, or $1.92.
Omnicom’s purchase of Interpublic will create the world’s largest advertising agency—and bring together the firms behind iconic marketing campaigns like “Got Milk” for the California Milk Processor Board, “Because I’m Worth It” for L’Oreal, “Think Different” for Apple, and Mastercard’s “Priceless.”
Omnicom is the third-largest advertising holding company globally by revenue, generating roughly $15 billion in 2023, while Interpublic follows with roughly $11 billion. Combined, the two agencies will surpass current industry leaders: U.K.-based WPP, which reported approximately $18 billion in revenue in 2023, and Paris-based Publicis Groupe, which reported nearly $16 billion in revenue.
All in all, the merger is intended to help the combined company better compete with tech behemoths such as Google and Meta Platforms, which have emerged as dominant forces in the advertising business and stand to push even further into advertising agencies’ territory with the rise of generative AI. This technology is expected to enable them to handle more of the creative development for brands—a cornerstone of advertising agencies.
OUR RECOMMENDATION: Omnicom is okay to hold.