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Westjet AirlinesWJA.TOBUYNov 03, 2015Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Dec 13, 2019. Market Open.
A really interest deal with Onex. He has been a long term fan for years. His first professional 10 bagger. He is not convinced Onex over paid -- they probably saw this as a great time -- comparable to US peers. He thinks the regulators will approve the deal.
In the past, he has favoured WestJet because its management is disciplined, they operated a single type of plane, they had happy non-unionized employees, and they focused on the Canadian market. But then they decided they wanted to be Air Canada. They operate several types and sizes of planes on more routes--if he had to invest in an airline now, it probably would NOT be Westjet. They were the Southwest of Canada but they have destroyed what they had, WestJet’s share price has been drifting sideways while Air Canada’s has been rising. He asserted that WestJet’s problems are all self-inflicted.
Really likes the stock. A great management theme. Thinks it sold off because it was wrapped up in the “sell Canada because it is going into recession” trade. The reality is that the airline sector is a duopoly. This and Air Canada (AC-T) are well positioned to capitalize on any economic growth that Canada has. A great entry point if you have a 1-2 year timeframe.