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LOBLAW COMPANIES $70.28

LOBLAW COMPANIES $70.28 (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 410.2 million; Market cap: $28.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.5%; www.loblaw.ca) currently operates over 1,100 supermarkets and 1,300 Shopper Drug Mart pharmacies across Canada.

In the three months ended March 26, 2016, Loblaw earned $338 million, or $0.82 a share. That’s up 12.3% from $301 million, or $0.72, a year earlier. Sales rose 4.8%, to $13.9 billion from $13.6 billion. Excluding gas station revenue, same-store sales rose 2.6% at Loblaw. They rose 6.3% at Shoppers Drug Mart.

The company now plans to spend $1 billion to open 50 new locations and renovate 150 stores. Choice Properties REIT (Toronto symbol CHP.UN) will contribute an additional $300 million to the construction projects. Loblaw owns 83.0% of the REIT, which gets 91% of its rental revenue from its supermarkets and drug stores.

Loblaw also continues to invest in its e-commerce operations. This includes expanding its click-and-collect program. The service lets customers order groceries online and pick them up at a nearby store.

Better stores and customer service should increase repeat visits and help the company differentiate itself from discount grocery sellers such as Wal-Mart and Costco.

Loblaw is a safety-conscious buy.

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