Iconic retailer set for next growth spurt

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN TIRE CORP. $62 (Toronto symbol CTC.A; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 81.4 million; Market cap: $5.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadiantire.ca) is in better shape than Loblaw to compete with big U.S. retailers like Wal-Mart and Target. That’s largely because its unique mix of automotive, household and sporting goods has made it Canada’s best-known retailer. The company gets 55% of its earnings and 60% of its revenue from its 482 stores across Canada. It owns 70% of these stores, but franchisees operate all of them. The company’s 272 gas stations also encourage repeat visits. Moreover, newer retail chains like its 378 Mark’s Work Wearhouse casual-clothing stores and 87 PartSource auto-parts stores are helping Canadian Tire attract more customers. Strong rebound after recession Sales rose 10.5%, from $8.3 billion in 2006 to $9.1 billion in 2008. Sales fell 4.8%, to $8.7 billion, in 2009, but rose 3.4%, to $9.0 billion, in 2010. Earnings per…