Topic: How To Invest

Stock Pickers Digest Hotline – Friday, January 20, 2017

Article Excerpt

ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD INC., $61.68, symbol ATD.B on Toronto, operates 10,547 convenience stores throughout North America and Europe. Couche-Tard’s latest acquisitions continue to pay off. That includes its March 2015 purchase of The Pantry chain in the U.S. The company paid $1.7 billion for that business. More recently, Couche-Tard paid Imperial Oil $1.7 billion for 279 prime Esso gas stations in Ontario and Quebec. That deal closed in August 2016. The company will also buy fuel and convenience store chain CST Brands (symbol CST on New York) for $4.4 billion U.S. Its bid beat 7-Eleven’s. The sale is expected to close in early 2017. Growth by acquisition adds risk, especially with deals as big as these. However, the company has a long track record of successfully integrating those businesses. OUR RECOMMENDATION: Alimentation Couche-Tard is a top pick for 2017. Alimentation Couche-Tard recent coverage Hotline for November 25, 2016 October 2016 issue SYMANTEC CORP., $26.65, symbol SYMC on Nasdaq, sells computer-security technology, including antivirus and email-filtering software, to businesses and…