Online sales will help it cope

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN TIRE CORP. (class A) is a buy. Shares of the retailer (Toronto symbols CTC $322 and CTC.A $186; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 60.8 million; Market cap: $11.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 2.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadiantire.ca) are down 13% from their recent peak of $214 in May 2021. That’s mainly due to concerns over new restrictions as a result of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. However, the company’s experience with earlier shutdowns should continue to help it cope with these disruptions. As well, many of its customers quickly embraced its online ordering and curbside pickup options. Annualized e-commerce sales have doubled since 2019 to about $2.1 billion, which is roughly 13% of its overall sales. Canadian Tire will probably earn $17.11 a share in 2022, and the class A shares trade at a low 10.9 times that forecast. It’s also raising your quarterly dividend by 10.6%. The new annual rate of $5.20 yields 2.8%. Canadian Tire class A stock…