Topic: How To Invest

Dividend Advisor Hotline – Friday, May 9, 2025

Article Excerpt

LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD., $218.17, Toronto symbol L, is a buy. The company operates 1,089 supermarkets under several banners, including Loblaws, Zehrs, Provigo, Real Canadian Superstore and No Frills. In March 2014, it purchased the Shoppers Drug Mart chain for $12.3 billion in cash and shares. Shoppers operates 1,361 drugstores across Canada. With the July 2025, payment, Loblaw will raise your quarterly dividend by 10.0%. Investors will then receive $0.5643 a share instead of $0.513. The new annual rate of $2.257 yields 1.0%. Loblaw reported strong-than-expected results for the first quarter of 2025. That’s mainly due to higher customer traffic at its discount-price stores. In the quarter ended March 22, 2025, overall sales rose 4.1%, to $14.14 billion from $13.58 billion a year earlier. That beat the consensus forecast of $14.07 billion. Same-store sales for its supermarkets rose 2.2% from a year earlier, due to higher customer traffic and food selling prices. Shoppers Drug Mart’s overall same-store sales also gained 3.8% in the quarter. Same-store sales growth for…