A man passes by a Couche-Tard convenience store in Montreal, Friday, October 5, 2012.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. reported a profit of $146.4-million (U.S.) in its latest quarter, up sharply from a year ago, however the results fell well short of analysts' expectations.
For the 12 weeks ended April 28, Couche-Tard said it earned 77 cents per diluted share, up from $117.8-million or 65 cents per share a year ago, while revenue increased to US$8.77-billion, up from $6.05-billion.
However, excluding non-recurring items, Couche-Tard said it earned 61 cents per share in what was the final quarter of its 2013 financial year, up from 57 cents a year ago.
According to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, the company had been expected to earn an adjusted per share profit of 77 cents on revenue of $8.9-billion of revenues.
For the full, 52-week year, Couche-Tard reported net earnings of $572.8-million or $3.07 per diluted share on revenue of $25.54-billion.
That compared with net earnings of $457.6-million or $2.49 per share on revenue of $22.98-billion in fiscal 2012, which was a 53-week year.
Shares in the convenience store and gas station operator closed down $3.04, or 5 per cent, at $58.35 (Canadian) on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
The operator of the Circle K convenience store chain in the United States is seen as a likely bidder to buy the retail assets of oil and gas giant Hess as the Quebec-based company seeks to further grow its U.S. network.
Hess announced in May that it will exit its retail, energy marketing and energy trading businesses following pressure from its third-largest shareholder – activist investor Elliott Management – to break up the firm. It owns about 1,350 gasoline stations in 16 East Coast states.
Couche-Tard recently said it has the capacity to spend $1.5-billion on acquisitions, but hasn't commented on its interest in Hess, whose locations are mostly in Florida, North Carolina, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and New Jersey.
Analyst Keith Howlett of Desjardins Capital Markets has said there's a 30-per-cent probability of Couche-Tard acquiring Hess's retail assets, saying the company will remain disciplined on how much it would pay in an auction against rivals such as 7-Eleven.
Meanwhile, its Mac's Convenience Stores could get a boost if Ontario finally allows the sale of alcohol in retail stores. Finance Minister Charles Sousa recently said the governing Liberals wouldn't rule out the sale, while the provincial Tories have advocated such a move.
Mac's Convenience Stores, owned by Couche-Tard said it would create 1,600 full-time jobs if its Ontario stores were allowed to sell beer, wine and spirits.
Ontario is currently facing an $11.7-billion deficit, which the Liberals have promised to eliminate by 2017-18.
Couche-Tard has some 53,000 employees around the world. It has more than 4,500 company-operated stores in North America and 1,600 locations in Europe.