Susser Holdings Corp. is a company that owns and operates convenience stores throughout the Southwestern United States. As the price of oil continues to rise, many of the large energy companies are divesting their retail stores and focusing on research, development, and most importantly discovering new sources of oil. Exxon Mobil has recently accounced its plans to divest 2,300 retail stores over the next three years. This divestiture of retail stores is where companies such as Susser can gain a competitive advantage in the market place. The company not only makes profits off of the sales of foods, beverages, and gas through its retail stores, but it also distributes gasoline to the unbranded, branded, and its own retail stores. They also install new gasoline station equipment. Susser is unique in that it can provide a "from the refiner to pump" vertical that many other companies cannot. It is similar to The Pantry (PTRY), who does not have the revenue from gasoline distribution and is trading at a multiple of 13.97. With Susser trading at 8.50 with a multiple of 0.15, I think it is a strong play for 2009. Susser Holdings Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates convenience stores, and distributes motor fuels in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. It operates in two segments, Retail and Wholesale. The Retail segment operates stores that offer food, beverages, snacks, grocery, and motor fuel, as well as candies, packaged foods, magazines and newspapers, health and beauty aids, and various non-food items. This segment also owns and operates ATMs, pay telephones, and proprietary money order systems in its stores, as well as provides other services, such as lottery, prepaid telephone cards, wireless services, and car washes. As of December 30, 2007, the company operated 504 stores, including 337 stores operating under the Stripes brand, 160 stores under the Town & Country brand, and 7 stores under the Village Market brand. The Wholesale segment purchases and distributes branded and unbranded motor fuel to the company-operated retail convenience stores, contracted independent operators of convenience stores, commercial users, unbranded convenience stores, and unattended fueling facilities. In addition, the company sells and installs motor fuel pumps and tanks, as well as provides various environmental consulting services, such as hydrocarbon remediation and Phase I and II site assessments. Susser Holdings is headquartered in Corpus Christi, Texas. (Summary was taken from Yahoo Finance).
$8.7 (07/03/08)
