This retailing icon continues to impress

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN TIRE CORP. (Toronto symbols CTC $255 and CTC.A $171; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 63.1 million; Market cap: $10.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadiantire.ca) owns 501 Canadian Tire stores across Canada. They sell automotive, household and sporting goods. Franchisees run most of the outlets. The company’s other operations include 298 gas stations and 90 PartSource auto-parts stores. Over the past few years, Canadian Tire has diversified its operations with acquisitions of other retail chains. They include Mark’s, which sells casual and work clothing through 386 stores. The Forzani Group sells sporting goods and athletic wear through 427 stores. They include its Sport Chek and Sports Experts locations. Steady gains in sales and earnings The company’s sales rose 5.7%, from $11.8 billion in 2013 to $12.5 billion in 2014. Sales then dipped to $12.3 billion in 2015 on lower gasoline prices. However, they rebounded to $12.7 billion in 2016 before rising again in…