These two targets need to cut their debt

Article Excerpt

Thanks to acquisitions, these two firms now carry high debt burdens. In response, activists want them to sell assets and pay down debt. We agree with the activists, but these two firms will probably resist their pressure. GFL ENVIRONMENTAL INC. $42 is a hold. The company (Toronto symbol GFL; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 370.0 million; Market cap: $15.5 billion; Dividend yield 0.2%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.gflenv.com) is North America’s fourth-largest waste-management firm. The waste-management industry is highly fragmented, so GFL tends to fuel its growth with acquisitions of smaller competitors. In fact, since 2007, it has completed over 240 purchases. In the three months ended September 30, 2023, GFL’s revenue rose 3.2%, to $1.89 billion from $1.83 billion a year earlier. If you exclude acquisitions and the recent sale of a business, revenue rose 10.3%. Earnings before one-time items jumped 60.0%, to $0.32 a share (or a total of $116.8 million) from $0.20 a share (or $74.0 million). As a result of its growth-by-acquisition strategy, GFL’s long-term…