ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD $29.82 (Toronto symbol ATD.B: TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-361-2612; www.couche-tard.com; Shares outstanding: 538.2 million; Market cap: $17.1 billion; Dividend yield: 0.4%) has split its shares on a 3-for-1 basis.
When a company’s stock price goes up, it has an incentive to split the stock to make it seem cheaper to investors, who may then buy more. This can make the stock more liquid than if it refrained from splits and let its share price go to uncommonly high levels.
Alimentation Couche-Tard is a buy.