AutoCanada (Symbol ACQ) (formally was ACQ.UN)

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retireat50
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AutoCanada (Symbol ACQ) (formally was ACQ.UN)

Post by retireat50 »

Auto Income is at a 12 month low right now. The thing that is appealing to me is the 14% yield that appears to be stable. Anyone looking at this thing?
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m1ax
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Post by m1ax »

Is there anybody on this board still following this stock?

I believe that it would be a good CDN proxy on a revival of the auto industry. A similar stock, AutoNation (AN), in the U.S., has rebounded sharply from its low.

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=AN#c ... =undefined

ACQ.un posted a profitable first quarter and the debt level is conservative. The units used to pay a sizeable distribution.

This definitely is a special situation and it carries a substantial level of risk, but the rewards would also be handsome.

Any opinion out there?
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m1ax
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Post by m1ax »

AN and ACQ.un used to be somewhat correlated to each other on a trading pattern. It's no longer the case, but it could change.

Just have a look at the following link:


http://www.google.ca/finance?chdnp=1&ch ... :AN&ntsp=0
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Mike Schimek
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Post by Mike Schimek »

Well this a knee jerk look at it, with a 15 minute analysis

:?

market cap is 18 million, shareholder equity is 25 million (68 mil less 43 mil in intangibles), so from a book value perspective that looks alright.

I guess for 18 million dollars you are buying 22 auto dealerships, so you are paying 818 000 per auto dealership.

From a business model standpoint, I suspect there are some reasons auto dealerships are franchise operations instead of directly owned by auto manufacturers... I suspect one of the reasons is that each franchisee is a form of owner, which gives them a lot of incentive to work hard, think, etc.

I'm not sure to what degree the effectiveness or value of that is diminished under this trust structure. This would worry me; the structure might not be ideal for this type of business. Maybe there's a reason they are the only one of their type in Canada... maybe the reason is that long term the structure doesn't work.

That's a 15 minute 2 cent opinion
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m1ax
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Post by m1ax »

The trust structure can be terminated any time, and IMO it will be before the 2012 deadline.

Anyhow, I see the company as perfectly legitimate as a corporation. The profitability is interesting. They make money with new cars, used cars (better margins) and even with the service and repairs part of the business.

They have real cash flow and can buy back shares if they want.

Chrysler getting out of bankruptcy I see a lot of their problems resolved, particularly if the governement goes ahead with a cash-for-clunker policy.

JMHO
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m1ax
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Post by m1ax »

The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Chrysler to be sold to Fiat. The news should help ACQ.un tomorrow.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Supreme-C ... et=&ccode=
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Mike Schimek
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Post by Mike Schimek »

Looks like you called that right, up 11.8% so far today!
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m1ax
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Post by m1ax »

Up again today. I waited more than eight months to add to a small position. I hope I will be rewarded.
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Re: AutoCanada Income Fund (Symbol-ACQ.UN)

Post by Taggart »

Symbol - ACQ

Of course it's no longer an income fund, but globeinvestor had an interesting column on this the other day. The dividend and growth thereof are interesting, but after reading the article, I'm not all that sure I'd want to buy into this company. I question whether this management's long term interests coincide with shareholders or their own back pockets.

Why AutoCanada is a (cautious) buy

The company's stock has surged, but its attractive outlook is marred by the industry's tangled web of interests

DAVID MILSTEAD
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Published Monday, May. 14, 2012 6:41PM EDT
Last updated Tuesday, May. 15, 2012 7:03AM EDT
Michael D
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Re: AutoCanada Income Fund (Symbol-ACQ.UN)

Post by Michael D »

It was a fun ride up from $4.00 per share. I admit to not knowing about the ownership structures. But it is easy to see that management can make money by flipping dealerships in a confusing web of non-arms length transactions.

It doesn't pass the smell test. There is risk that the public corporate structure can implode as high performing dealerships pass into management's private holdings. Yuck.

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Autocanada - ACQ.to

Post by Grundnorm »

I started to accumulate a bunch of Autocanada (ACQ.to) shares in anticipation of a consolidation in the auto retailing industry and improving macroeconomics in Alberta and BC in the years to come. It seems to me that the stock is selling cheap at current levels, after being rammed by the oil crisis and recession in Alberta. Balance sheet is similar to US counterparts and the company should be able to keep on acquiring new dealerships. With 53 dealership it is still relatively small and could scale up alot.

What do yall think?
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shmenge
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Re: Autocanada - ACQ.to

Post by shmenge »

It should be OK until it hits some overhead resistance at $25. It is on my watch list and I think it's a great buy here. Don't take that to mean very much as my track record for stock picking is some what erratic :? Good Luck!
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Re: AutoCanada (Symbol ACQ) (formally was ACQ.UN)

Post by Hammerer »

Long term, I think the auto dealership model is due for a shakeup. Cars on my "want" list are either used clunkers, or cars that I've rented before and had good experiences with (Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Pathfinder if I somehow end up with 3 kids and a dog). And I still can't understand why we have so many different car models, manufacturers are due for consolidation, and with that, we'll see more consolidation in the retail market with fewer models to differentiate between.

I can't wait until Apple or the like come out with 3 cars (mini, midi and max) that meets 90% of 90% of people's needs. Maybe TSLA will manage.
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