Offset rising food prices with their dividends

Article Excerpt

Food prices climbed 11.4% in September 2022 from a year earlier, according to StatsCan. A good way to offset those costs are shares in these two supermarket operators—as rising prices give them more cash for dividends. LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD. $113 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol L; Conservative-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 327.0 million; Market cap: $37.0 billion; Dividend yield: 1.4%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.loblaw.ca) operates 1,091 supermarkets under several banners, including Loblaws, Zehrs, Provigo, Real Canadian Superstore and No Frills. It also operates 1,346 associate-owned Shoppers Drug Mart locations. Loblaw raised its quarterly dividend with the July 2022 payment. Investor now receive $0.405 a share, up 11.0% from $0.365. The new annual rate of $1.62 yields 1.4%. The company has now increased the annual rate each year for the past 11 years. In the quarter ended June 18, 2022, overall sales rose 2.9%, to $12.85 billion from $12.49 billion a year earlier. Same-store sales for its supermarkets rose 0.9% from a..