Stockchase Opinions

Ryan ModestoGreat Canadian Gaming CorpGC.TOPAST TOP PICKJun 19, 2019

(A Top Pick May 24/18, Down 12%) He still likes them. The recent quarter saw revenues grow by 35%. They are investing in the future by adding square footage, so earnings will be a little chunky. It trades 16 times earnings and they have 10 year contracts to manage casinos and there is no real competition.
$44.15

Stock price when the opinion was issued

$44.98

As of Sep 22, 2021. Market Open.

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HOLD
Trevor Rose’s Insights - Trevor’s most-liked answers from 5i Research. Takeover offer. Pandemic hit hard. Solid assets, but re-opening slowed. Healthy balance sheet.
BUY
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DON'T BUY
It's being acquired now, so there's little juice to squeeze here. The market is assuming the deal will happen. He owns Evolution Gaming (Swedish) instead, which operates the software for online gaming (EVO is the ticker).
DON'T BUY
He got stopped out of this. It's well-run, but the casinos are closed so there's no revenue coming in. GC carries a reasonable amount of debt. Also, casinos have high operating expenses, even during this lockdown. He wants to see stability in their debt, though. In recessions, gambling performs well, though.
BUY
Will GC go ahead with their Dutch auction at this low price? A Dutch auction is a buyback of shares in a block within a range. It's tax-inefficient for a shareholder who's not in an RRSP. Before the virus, itt was difficult for GC to get the amount of shares they wanted at a maximum of $46. But a clause says that if the S&P drops 10%, then the auction is off. But he believes GC will do the auction anyway. He likes this stock, a past pick. They will likely take advantage of this low stock price and change the price range. They have high cash flow and a reasonable valuation. Three to six months after this virus, GC will be in better shape because they bought back stock cheaper. Sure, there will be a slowdown in their gambling revenue, but not a cessation. It's hard to buy this with negative price momentum, but this is cheap. A long-term buy, sure.
DON'T BUY
A new casino is opening in Pickering, ON and will keep Ajax, ON going. Revenues are up 15%, but the stock price is down. Go figure. Canadians love gambling and seeing live bands at casinos. The stock is selling 22x earnings after this pullback, so maybe it got ahead of itself.
HOLD
The money-laundering in Vancouver and the coronavirus have hurt the stock. For the latter, people aren't going to casinos. Revisit on any weakness. Sell on any strength. Or hold.
BUY
Corona virus has caused a sell off. Ultimately this will be a short term blip to this stock. He likes the business and they have a strong competitive business. They are building big, new facilities which he thinks will be very positive. They have been buying back stock.
BUY
It has been a bit of a frustrating ride for him. The stock price has gone nowhere. The stock has put in a floor here and he would like to see it go up now. This will tend to hold up well during periods of weakness. It is a very well run company. Their financial metrics are strong. He is looking to hold this longer term.
TOP PICK

They run casinos in BC and ON. A strong consumer market should continue to support it. It has a 27% ROE and trades at 16 times earnings. There is some belief on the street that they over paid for the casino rights in the GTA, but he argues that this is already factored into the current valuation metrics. Another knock is that they are not paying a dividend. Yield 0% (Analysts’ price target is $47.25)

BUY
Their issue was the money-laundering inquiry in their BC casinos which stopped some good growth. Now, that issue is working its way through the system. The Woodbine Casino remains their jewel, attracting investment. GC offers a great return on capital. You don't need much capital to grow. New locations are very profitable. He owns Brookfield Business Partners which co-financed the Woodbine site.
COMMENT
Safe to collect the yield. But the stock appreciation needs more research, which he hasn't done. Well-managed, though.
WATCH

GC-T vs. TSGI-T. They trade at significantly different multiples: 20 times vs. 10 times. TSGI-T has a bigger international perspective, but has more competition. He would prefer TSGI-T if they get their merger done.

TOP PICK
They have a privileged position in the Toronto area market and they’ve teamed up with Brookfield. They’re building many new large casinos in Ontario. Investors should see this as a long-term position around 3. It has high cash-flow with defensive aspects to it. (Analysts’ price target is $47.25)
PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Nov 19/18, Up 17%) He still likes it. A high quality company with good long-term outlook. They are spending a lot of money building out casinos. It is a top pick today.