Loblaw rewards you as it adapts

Article Excerpt

Intense competition among traditional supermarket operators has traditionally kept their profit margins low and their success dependent on steady foot traffic. In the last decade, competition from online sellers has only helped to shrink their profit margins. Despite those challenges, this star retailer for our investors continues to adapt by controlling costs and launching new services such as home delivery. Loblaw’s initiatives have rewarded its investors with a 26% gain in the past year. That far exceeds the 10% rise for the S&P/TSX 60 index. The company is already developing more ways to build on its momentum and reward investors. For example, it continues to expand its popular President’s Choice line of exclusive products. That encourages customers to stick with this retailer—and to spur your returns. LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD., $70, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol L; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 366.1 million; Market cap: $25.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.loblaw.ca) is Canada’s largest food…