Every week, we provide an overview of insider trading, investments in local businesses and news from publicly traded companies.
The American company Trackforce Valiant recently announced the acquisition of the young Quebec company TrackTik for an undisclosed sum. Founded by Simon Ferragne in 2013, TrackTik offers a cloud-based security guard management solution. The Caisse de depot had invested in the company in 2017 and 2019. With offices in Montreal and London, TrackTik serves 780 customers in 35 countries.
Jean-Guy Desjardins, who has been executive chairman of the board of Fiera Capital since January 1, this week sold nearly $1.3 million worth of shares in the Montreal fund manager he founded in 2003. "The sale was made for estate planning purposes," Desjardins said in a statement. The businessman retains a significant stake in Fiera.
Vancouver-based 7 Generation Capital raised $8 million from Fonds de solidarité FTQ and German giant Siemens. 7Gen offers charger installation and rental services as well as the operation, maintenance and rental of electric vehicles.
The investment firm Novacap, whose head office is in Brossard, announced this week the acquisition of a majority stake in the Ontario company Ratehub.ca, a website that compares financial products such as mortgages, credit cards and insurance. In recent weeks, Novacap has also sold two companies in its portfolio, the Ontario-based Greenwood Mushrooms and the Canadian-American Hallcon.
Belonging to the Ontario firm Altima Dental since 2019, Lapointe Dental Centers has new shareholders. Altima announced this week its merger with British Columbia-based 123Dentist. The combined entity, which will have nearly 350 clinics in Canada, will be owned by Toronto-based investment firm Peloton Capital as well as New York-based KKR and Sentinel Capital.
The prepared meals company Cook it announced this week that it had received a $5 million loan from Desjardins Capital. Despite the industry's current challenges, Cook it says it posted 4% growth in its most recent fiscal year. In October, the Fonds FTQ had already loaned $5.5 million to the company. The main shareholders of Cook it are co-founder Judith Fetzer, the Alberta firm District Ventures Capital and Alain Bouchard of Alimentation Couche-Tard.
