atd b

PLEASE NOTE: Our next Hotline will go out on Friday, April 25, 2014. POTASH CORP. OF SASKATCHEWAN, $38.45, Toronto symbol POT, rose 5% this week on speculation that BHP Billiton (New York symbol BHP) may launch a second takeover offer for the company. (BHP is a recommendation of Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our newsletter that focuses on U.S. stocks.) In 2010, BHP offered to buy Potash Corp. for $43.33 U.S. a share (adjusted for a 3-for-1 stock split in February 2011). However, Ottawa ultimately blocked the takeover, as it did not provide a “net benefit” to Canada under the Investment Canada Act....

ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD $91.36 (Toronto symbol ATD.B: TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-361-2612; www.couchetard. com; Shares outstanding: 179.4 million; Market cap: $17.3 billion; Dividend yield: 0.4%) grew from just 630 stores in Quebec in 1998 to 1,612 in 1999, mostly through the purchase of Silcorp Ltd....

ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD $91.36 (Toronto symbol ATD.B: TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-361-2612; www.couchetard. com; Shares outstanding: 179.4 million; Market cap: $17.3 billion; Dividend yield: 0.4%) grew from just 630 stores in Quebec in 1998 to 1,612 in 1999, mostly through the purchase of Silcorp Ltd. and its 980 Mac’s and Becker’s stores in Ontario and western Canada. Couche-Tard then continued to expand through profitable acquisitions, including buying 2,290 stores in the U.S. in 2003 from ConocoPhillips.

The company made another big acquisition in June 2012 with the $2.7-billion purchase of Norway’s Statoil Fuel & Retail chain of gas stations (all figures except share price in U.S. dollars).

In Europe, Couche-Tard now operates 2,263 outlets across Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), Poland, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and Russia. That’s in addition to its 6,221 stores throughout North America operating under the Couche- Tard and Circle K banners.
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ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD $81.60 (Toronto symbol ATD.B: TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-361-2612; www.couchetard. com; Shares outstanding: 179.4 million; Market cap: $15.4 billion; Dividend yield: 0.5%) was our #1 pick for 2012 at $30.55. Its shares are now up a whopping 167.1%.

The company continues to introduce more-profitable products at its North American stores, including improved fresh and takeout food....

PLEASE NOTE: One week from today, on January 17, 2014, shortly after the stock market closes at 4:00 p.m. Toronto time, we will reveal our #1 Canadian Stock of 2014 to subscribers of The Successful Investor. You can be among the first to hear about our #1 pick for 2014. Because you’re a loyal subscriber, we are happy to offer you a bargain-priced, no-risk introduction to The Successful Investor. It gives you the first month—and the 2014 Stock of the Year—FREE. But you must act now. Click here. BELLATRIX EXPLORATION LTD., $8.37, symbol BXE on Toronto, has ended 2013 with record production of 38,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day (including natural gas). That’s a big improvement over its earlier forecast of 30,000 to 31,000. Several new wells about to enter production will boost that figure to 40,000 barrels a day. The company plans to spend $370 million on exploration and development this year. It aims to drill a total of 146 wells: 115 oil and 31 gas. It could end 2014 with production of over 47,000 barrels a day....

ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD $81.60 (Toronto symbol ATD.B: TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-361-2612; www.couchetard. com; Shares outstanding: 179.4 million; Market cap: $15.4 billion; Dividend yield: 0.5%) was our #1 pick for 2012 at $30.55. Its shares are now up a whopping 167.1%.

The company continues to introduce more-profitable products at its North American stores, including improved fresh and takeout food. There is lots of potential to sell similar items through the Statoil chain in Norway, which it bought in June 2012.

Alimentation Couche-Tard is still a buy.
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ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD $78.27 (Toronto symbol ATD.B: TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-361-2612; www.couche-tard.com; Shares outstanding: 179.4 million; Market cap: $14.9 billion; Dividend yield: 0.5%) reports that its earnings excluding one-time items jumped 45.6% in the quarter ended October 13, 2013, to $249.0 million, or $1.32 a share....

ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD $78.27 (Toronto symbol ATD.B: TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-361-2612; www.couche-tard.com; Shares outstanding: 179.4 million; Market cap: $14.9 billion; Dividend yield: 0.5%) reports that its earnings excluding one-time items jumped 45.6% in the quarter ended October 13, 2013, to $249.0 million, or $1.32 a share. A year earlier, it earned $171.0 million, or $0.91.

The company benefited from higher fuel volumes and merchandise sales.

Couche-Tard also raised its quarterly dividend by 14.3% with the December 2013 payment, to $0.10 from $0.0875. The shares yield 0.5%. The increase followed a 16.7% hike in September 2013.
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ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD, $77.60, symbol ATD.B on Toronto, rose over 6% this week after reporting its latest quarterly earnings. In the three months ended October 13, 2013, the company’s sales fell 3.0%, to $9.0 billion from $9.3 billion a year earlier (all figures except share price in U.S. dollars). The year-ago quarter included 92 days of results from Norway’s Statoil Fuel & Retail ASA, which Couche-Tard bought for $2.7 billion in June 2012, while the latest quarter included just 84 days. The shorter period was due to an adjustment to align Statoil’s accounting period with Couche-Tard’s. That was the main reason for the lower revenue. Excluding that, the company benefited from higher fuel volumes and merchandise sales. Couche-Tard gets about 30% of its revenue by selling merchandise....

ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD $73.50 (Toronto symbol ATD.B: TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-361-2612; www.couchetard. com; Shares outstanding: 179.4 million; Market cap: $13.6 billion; Dividend yield: 0.5%) operates 6,198 convenience stores throughout North America....