Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: I’d like your opinion on Primo Water Corp (PRMW on Nasdaq). Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Primo Water Corp., $12.29, symbol PRMW on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 26.1 million; Market cap: $321.4 million; www.primowater.com), provides multi-gallon jugs of purified water, water dispensers and refilling stations, across Canada and the U.S. Individuals purchase the company’s dispensers and then continually purchase water jugs. Empty bottles are exchanged at refilling centers and are sanitized and reused up to 40 times. The company’s products and services are offered through 26,300 retail locations, including Lowe’s Home Improvement, Walmart, Sobeys, Walgreens, The Home Depot, Kmart, Meijer, and Kroger. In the three months ended September 30, 2016, Primo’s revenue rose 4.8%, to $35.5 million from $33.9 million a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, the company made $3.8 million, or $0.13 a share, up 50.0% from $2.3 million, or $0.09 a share. Its costs remained unchange in the the quarter, so the higher profit was mainly because of increased sales. Primo operates in a competitive—but growing—market. To spur its growth, it has just acquired Glacier Water Services for…