Our updates will keep you on track: Metro, Cenovus & Telus

Article Excerpt

METRO INC., $71.12, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol MRU; Shares outstanding: 227.0 million; Market cap: $16.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.9%; www.metro.ca) will close its produce distribution centre based in Ottawa in May. That’s part of its plan to modernize its networks in Ontario and Quebec. Since 2017, the company has invested over $1 billion in that plan, which mainly includes building new distribution centres in Montreal and Toronto. These facilities, which use automated machinery to sort products and prepare them for shipping to stores, will cut its labour costs. The company expects the costs to shift its current operations to those facilities will cut its earnings in its current fiscal year, ending September 30, 2024, by roughly $0.05 a share to $4.25. The stock trades at a reasonable 16.7 times that forecast. However, beyond fiscal 2024, Metro expects its annual earnings per share will rise between 8% and 10%. The company also raised your quarterly dividend by 10.7% with the March 2024…