Topic: Growth Stocks

Stock Pickers Digest Hotline – Friday, March 22, 2013

Article Excerpt

ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD, $53.63, symbol ATD.B on Toronto, reported sharply higher sales and earnings in its latest quarter. The company is the largest convenience store operator in Canada, with over 2,000 outlets. It also has nearly 3,700 U.S. stores. The Canadian stores operate under the Couche-Tard and Mac’s banners, while the U.S. stores mainly use the Circle K brand. In the three months ended February 3, 2013, Couche-Tard’s sales jumped 75.2%, to $11.6 billion from $6.6 billion a year earlier. The gain mostly came from Norway’s Statoil Fuel & Retail ASA, which Couche-Tard bought for $2.7 billion in June 2012 (all figures except share price in U.S. dollars). The company also benefited from higher fuel prices and merchandise sales. Couche-Tard gets about 30% of its revenue by selling merchandise. Excluding one-time items, earnings rose 72.3%, to $153.2 million, or $0.81 a share, from $88.9 million, or $0.49 a share. Couche-Tard’s outlook is positive. It continues to introduce more-profitable products at its…