Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat. If I can buy only one of these two stocks: Canadian Tire or Shoppers Drug Mart, which one is best over the long term (5 to 10 years)? Thanks and Best Regards.

Article Excerpt

Shoppers Drug Mart, $47.58, symbol SC on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 217.4 million; Market cap: $10.3 billion), continues to upgrade its stores. It is also moving some stores to larger locations. Shoppers may benefit from higher spending on prescription drugs by aging baby boomers. However, the company faces a lot of competition from other expanding drugstore chains, such as Jean Coutu Group (symbol PJC on Toronto) in Quebec and Edmonton-based Katz Group. It also competes with food and department stores with pharmacies. These include Loblaw, Safeway, Wal-Mart and Costco. Shoppers’ shares now trade at a price/earnings ratio of over 18. In contrast, Canadian Tire, $51.60, symbol CTC.A on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 78.2 million; Market cap: $4.0 billion), has a p/e ratio of 10. We think Canadian Tire is safer than Shoppers due to its broader range of merchandise, and it may produce better long-term results than Shoppers because it is so much cheaper in relation to current earnings. Shoppers Drug Mart is…