Tim grows at home and abroad

Article Excerpt

TIM HORTONS INC. $62 (Toronto symbol THI; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 138.2 million; Market cap: $8.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.8; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.timhortons.com) operates 3,588 coffee-and-donut stores in Canada, 859 in the U.S. and 38 in the Persian Gulf. Franchisees operate 99.6% of these outlets. The company’s sales jumped 33.0%, from $1.7 billion in 2009 to $2.3 billion in 2013. That’s largely because it opened 573 new locations in Canada (up 19.0%) and 296 in the U.S. (up 52.6%). New menu items, like soups and panini sandwiches, also spurred sales. Serving more customers faster Earnings jumped 110.5%, from $296.4 million in 2009 to $624.0 million in 2010, mainly due to a $361.1-million gain on the sale of a bakery joint venture. Per-share earnings rose 118.3%, from $1.64 to $3.58, on fewer shares outstanding. Earnings then fell to $2.35 a share (or a total of $382.8 million) in 2011 but turned around and rose…