Updates on Loblaw Companies, Pengrowth Energy and Encana Corp.

Article Excerpt

LOBLAW COMPANIES $68.39 (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 396.1 million; Market cap: $26.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.6%; www.loblaw.ca) has now completed the sale of its 213 gas stations to Brookfield Business Partners LP (Toronto symbol BBU.UN). The deal included convenience stores adjacent to those stations. Under the terms of the agreement, Loblaw customers will continue to collect loyalty points on their purchases at those locations. The company received $540 million. To put that amount in context, Loblaw earned $445 million, or $1.11 a share, in the second quarter of 2017. The cash will help the company with its plan to open 30 new stores and renovate 500 existing locations in 2017. It expects to spend $1.3 billion on that plan. Loblaw also continues to expand its online shopping operations. Those include its click-and-collect program, where customers can buy groceries and other items online and pick them up at a nearby store when it’s convenient for them. Loblaw is a..