Updates on Loblaw Companies, Canadian Pacific Railway, and Telus

Article Excerpt

LOBLAW COMPANIES $64.58 (Toronto symbol L; Shares o/s: 383.1 million; Market cap: $24.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 1.7%; www.loblaw.ca) operates 1,093 supermarkets across Canada. In March 2014, the company purchased Shoppers Drug Mart, which operates 1,334 drug stores across the country. Effective February 1, 2018, the company merged the PC Plus loyalty rewards plan at its Loblaw supermarkets with the Shoppers’ Optimum program. That combined plan is called PC Optimum, with users able to collect and redeem points at both chains. In addition to its own stores, Loblaw is expanding the PC Optimum plan to other retailers. Under a new deal with IMPERIAL OIL $34.71 (Toronto symbol IMO; Shares outstanding: 831.2 million; Market cap: $28.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.8%; www.imperialoil.ca) PC Optimum users will be able to earn points when they buy gasoline at more than 1,800 Esso stations across Canada. Loblaw and Imperial Oil will launch this alliance on June 1, 2018. The deal should spur customer traffic at both chains. Loblaw…