Stock price when the opinion was issued
Pet Value reported better-than-expected adjusted earnings per share but lower-than-expected same-store sales growth. Adjusted EPS of $0.36 declined 7% year-over-year missing estimates of $0.34. Same-store sales growth came in at 6%, driven by a 4.8% increase in transaction count. Revenue increased 13% year-over-year to $256.4 million, missing estimates slightly of $257.2 million. Adjusted EBITDA rose 4%, while the street called for a 1% decline. Gross margin improved by 1.5% year-over-year to 36.1% vs consensus of 34.6%. Management left the 2023 guidance unchanged at revenue of $1.05 to $1.08 million, same-store sales growth of 7% to 10%, and new store operations of 40-50 stores. The quarter overall was a miss and the guidance came in slightly lower than consensus.
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Is the leading pet retailer in Canada as pet adoption continues to grow. This business is recession-proof. The valuation had to come in. Organic same-store sales growth has slowed a little, but management has delivered by expanding store count in underserved markets. The PE has fallen from 30x to 15x and now is 17-20x, which is reasonable considering growth potential and cash flow.
Canada's largest retailer in the space. Industry growth driven by pet adoption, and higher spending per pet. Really strong 22% EBITDA margins. Healthy free cashflow, reinvested in opening new stores and distribution centres. Consistently beats consensus.
Same-store sales growth has slowed since pandemic moves. Stock's corrected to 19x earnings, really good buy considering earnings quality and plans for growth. Yield is 1.4%.
It is a good price so he is adding more. It works on a franchise basis, has good management, and it is the only company expanding outside city centres. The only overhang is a big private equity company that owns a controlling position has been peeling off stock. However there is healthy organic growth going forward. Lots of pets were bought during the pandemic and they need food.