Their leadership enhances your safety

Article Excerpt

Metro Inc. and insurer CPKC are leading competitors in their respective markets; look for that to cut your ongoing risk. We see both as attractive buys. METRO INC., $92.78, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol MRU; Shares o/s: 222.2 million; Market cap: $20.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.4%; www.metro.ca) operates 992 grocery stores and 640 drugstores, in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick. In the quarter, ended September 28, 2024, overall sales fell 2.6%, to $4.94 billion from $5.07 billion a year earlier. However, the year-earlier quarter benefited from an extra week. On a comparable basis, sales increased by 5.7%. Thanks partly to higher selling prices, same-store sales at Metro’s grocery location rose 2.2%. Same-store sales at the company’s drugstores also improved 5.7%. That reflects a 6.8% increase in prescription drug sales, as well as a 3.3% rise in sales of other products, particularly cosmetics and beauty products. Excluding one-time items, Metro’s overall earnings in the latest quarter fell 1.0%, to $226.5 million from $228.8 million…