Mainstreet Equity Corp (MEQ-T)

Excellent company with strong prospects. Will continue to own. Founder led, with lots of skin in the game. Demand of housing expected to keep growing. Does not lose any sleep over company. Mid-market apartments also continue to grow. No rent control in Western Canada - helps increase profits. Lots of "blue sky" to keep growing. 

Core holding in portfolio. Very strong asset base. Sharp management with founder who has lots of skin in the game (~50%). Excellent quarter with higher revenue and cash flow. New M&A - bought ~600 apartment as sellers wanted to sell before capital gains tax . Expecting 20,000 apartments by the end of the year. One of the best compounding companies in Canada. 

Has pulled back to a fair valuation for a phenomenal compounder. It's not a REIT, but a real estate corporation. So, they retain their capital to do deals. (REITs don't retain capital, so are stuck when there's a downturn.) MEQ buys smaller mid-market apartments, competing with mom-and-pop operators, not REITs. MEQ is counter-cyclical, and pays strong returns on time.

What's great is the growth without having to raise equity. Corporation, not a REIT, so it can hold onto cashflow to reinvest. Whereas REITs have to pay it all out. Still upside. Generating superior income from its current cycle of increasing rents.

It is under-followed since it hasn't raised money in over 20 years. It buys and manages small and mid-size apartment buildings in Western Canada. Its number of apartments has grown substantially and continues to grow. It has a record high number of units rented as well as record high rents. The CEO is excellent and owns half the business.

Really likes it, though illiquid. Adept at growing portfolio base and NAV, despite not having to issue any equity, the holy grail of real estate. Really likes Canadian western apartment markets, especially where no rent control. Rents go higher, and so NAV goes higher.

Thinks highly of CEO. Great example of building a great business by investing in accretive acquisitions instead of paying out a distribution. Discount to NAV. Migration into Alberta is a great story. No dividend.

MEQ operates as a real estate corporation focusing on managing residential rental apartments and is now trading at 27.6x times' Forward P/E, but only at 1.0x Book value. In the last five years, MEQ’s revenue growth has been quite consistent, around 12% on average. Like other real estate companies, the balance sheet is leveraged, with net debt of $1.5B. The net debt/EBITDA is currently around 14.5x. MEQ reinvested heavily into acquiring new properties. As a result, the company has had no dividend payments and limited shares repurchase over the last few years.

We think MEQ has the potential to be a compounder, trading at 1.0x Book value is also an attractive valuation, but the leverage levels need to be monitored carefully, as the debt is quite high. We would be comfortable with this name for a three-year+ timeframe given its cheap valuation and consistent revenue growth.
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