Services Sector Ideas

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Copart - >>> Copart earns incredible profits. The company's operating margin in the first half of its fiscal 2023 was almost 37% -- extremely high. However, despite plenty of cash, management has never paid a dividend in its nearly 30 years as a public company, and it hasn't repurchased any shares since 2019. This is because it believes it can put its cash to better use.


https://www.fool.com/investing/2023/02/23/2-recession-proof-growth-stocks-im-loving-now/?source=eptyholnk0000202&utm_source=yahoo-host&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article


During its fiscal 2022, which ended in July 2022, Copart acquired around 1,200 new acres of land for storing vehicles for its auctions. According to management, the company owns more than 90% of its 16,000 acres, allowing it to execute its plans without taking a third-party landlord into consideration.

Adding new vehicle yards and expanding existing ones helps Copart increase its competitive advantage in the resilient vehicle-auction space. The company's primary customers are insurance companies looking to get rid of loads of damaged vehicles at maximum prices. By having more than 200 locations, and still growing, Copart can handle their heavy volumes. And it has a large base of buyers, pushing bids higher to the satisfaction of insurance companies.

Vehicles can be damaged in accidents or during natural disasters, and these unfortunate events don't take time off during recessions. This isn't to say that Copart's financial results are completely unaffected by macro-economic conditions -- results right now are being affected by abnormally high used car prices. However, this industry always has demand, and Copart is one of the biggest players in the space.

A sensible choice

I don't know when a recession will strike next. But they're regular economic occurrences. That's why having some more recession-proof stocks like Tractor Supply and Copart in your portfolio could make a lot of sense.

However, if I had to pick just one to buy today, I'd choose Tractor Supply over Copart. Trading at around 30 times its earnings, Copart trades at a more expensive valuation than its 10-year average, as the chart below shows. By contrast, Tractor Supply trades in line with its average.

Chart showing Tractor Supply's PE ratio lower than Copart's since 2018.

This suggests that Copart might be a little overvalued right now, and I don't think I'm alone in that belief. Copart's management seems to agree. Consider that management is authorized to repurchase over 81 million shares whenever it sees fit. But it hasn't done so in over three years.

Therefore, for the more value-conscious investor, I'd wait with Copart's management on the sidelines for a better price, whereas Tractor Supply stock appears to already be trading at a fair price today.

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