ALIMENTATION COUCHETARD $63.53 - Toronto symbol ATD.B

ALIMENTATION COUCHETARD $63.53 (Toronto symbol ATD.B: TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-361-2612; www.couchetard. com; Shares outstanding: 567.4 million; Market cap: $35.9 billion; Dividend yield: 0.4%) has agreed to buy Ireland’s Topaz chain. The price was not disclosed but is likely in the $400-million range. Topaz is the country’s leading operator of gas stations and convenience stores. The chain consists of 464 locations across Ireland. This purchase is smaller than Couche-Tard’s $2.7-billion purchase of Norway’s Statoil Fuel & Retail gas station chain in June 2012 and The Pantry, which it bought for $1.7 billion in March 2015. The Pantry operates 1,500 convenience stores in the U.S. However, acquisitions of all sizes are a key part of Couche- Tard’s growth strategy. Expanding in this way adds risk, but the company does a good job of integrating the businesses it buys. Couche-Tard is a buy. All best wishes! …from all of us here at The Successful Investor Inc. and TSINetwork. ca. We wish you a terrific year-end holiday and a happy New Year! — Pat McKeough

A professional investment analyst for more than 30 years, Pat has developed a stock-selection technique that has proven reliable in both bull and bear markets. His proprietary ValuVesting System™ focuses on stocks that provide exceptional quality at relatively low prices. Many savvy investors and industry leaders consider it the most powerful stock-picking method ever created.