Shares of Constellation Software (TSX:CSU) are sliding after news that long-time CEO Mark Leonard is stepping down due to health issues, alongside investor worries about artificial intelligence (AI) disrupting the company’s model.
I don’t buy it. Mark isn’t Constellation, and Constellation isn’t Mark. As great a leader as he is, the business is far bigger than one person, and the AI fears are overblown. If anything, what’s really happening is CSU’s multiple is coming down as investors are reminded that even the best companies can be too expensive if you pay any price for their earnings.
At just over $4,000 per share, CSU now trades at around 24 times forward earnings. That’s not dirt cheap, but for this business, it’s a rare chance to buy a wonderful company at a fair price, and that’s good enough.
What is CSU?
Constellation Software has a unique model. Instead of building one big product, it acquires and operates hundreds of smaller, specialized software companies. These units sell vertically integrated software, which are niche applications tailored to industries like healthcare, education, or municipal services.
Once in place, the products are mission-critical, which means customers rarely switch. This leads to sticky recurring revenue, low churn, and a business model that hums quietly in the background with high predictability.
Constellation’s strength lies in decentralization. Business units operate independently, with minimal interference from headquarters, but benefit from shared resources and capital-allocation expertise. That structure allows it to buy, integrate, and scale software businesses more efficiently than competitors.
How good is CSU?
One metric says it all: return on equity (ROE). Over the trailing 12 months, Constellation has posted an ROE of 22.22%.
ROE measures how efficiently a company turns shareholder equity into profits. It’s a favourite of Warren Buffett because it’s difficult to manipulate and reveals the true quality of a business.
Constellation achieves this high ROE because of its sticky software model. By owning vertical-market software businesses that customers can’t easily replace, it generates durable profits without needing to constantly reinvest huge sums in flashy growth initiatives.
That consistency, paired with disciplined capital allocation, is why CSU continues to stand out as one of the best-run companies on the TSX even after recent stumbles.
The Foolish takeaway
When others are fearful, that’s when the best opportunities appear. The Mark Leonard transition and overblown AI disruption fears have created just such a moment for CSU. For long-term investors, this dip is a chance to own a world-class Canadian tech stock at a more favourable price than in previous years.
