Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: Can you give me your assessment and recommendation on CanWel Building Materials Group? Cheers,

Article Excerpt

A: CanWel Building Materials Group Inc., $6.89, symbol CWX on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 77.7 million; Market cap: $528.9 million; www.canwel.com), distributes hardware, building materials and home renovation products. Operating from 18 distribution centers across Canada, CanWel serves the new home construction, home renovation and industrial market. More specifically, it supplies the retail lumber and building-materials industry, hardware stores, and industrial and furniture manufacturers across Canada. Its products include adhesives and fasteners, decking and exterior products, flooring, insulation, locksets, roofing, siding, storage, underlayment, and wall systems. CanWel began trading in May 2005 as an income trust when it first sold units to the public at $8.50 per unit. It converted to a regular corporation in February 2010. The company has a long history of using acquisitions to fuel its growth. As a result of those new businesses, its sales rose 37.7%, from $710.6 million in 2012 to $978.3 million in 2016. Earnings jumped 61.8%, from $7.6 million in 2012 to $12.3 million in 2014…