METRO INC. $37 – Toronto symbol MRU.A

METRO INC. $37 (Toronto symbol MRU.A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 108.5 million; Market cap: $4.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; Dividend yield: 1.5%; SI Rating: Average) is Canada’s third-largest supermarket operator, after Loblaw and Sobeys. Metro operates roughly 660 grocery stores in Quebec… Read More

Metro thrives in tough market

For most of its 62-year history, grocery-store operator Metro focused solely on its home province of Quebec. In 2005, it successfully expanded to Ontario with its acquisition of the A&P chain. This purchase gave Metro the size it needed to compete with other supermarket chains,… Read More

Metro thrives in tough market

For most of its 62-year history, grocery-store operator Metro focused solely on its home province of Quebec. In 2005, it successfully expanded to Ontario with its acquisition of the A&P chain. This purchase gave Metro the size it needed to compete with other supermarket chains,… Read More

Hi there: I was just wondering what you thought of the Whiterock Real Estate Investment Trust. Thanks.

Whiterock Real Estate Investment Trust, $13.95 symbol WRK.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 9.5 million; Market cap: $133.1 million), owns, develops and operates office, industrial and retail properties across Canada.

Whiterock owns 24 office buildings, 13 industrial buildings and eight retail properties. These comprise 3.4 million square… Read More

Pat: What’s your opinion of First Capital Realty?

First Capital Realty, $16.24, symbol FCR on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 92.1 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion), owns, develops and operates shopping centres throughout Canada.

The company focuses on big cities, including Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa, Edmonton and Quebec City. It mainly operates in the… Read More

Time To Tender Sobeys

SOBEYS INC. $58 (Toronto symbol SBY; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 64.9 million; Market cap: $3.8 billion; SI Rating: Average) shot up after its corporate parent, Empire Co., launched a $58.00-a-share takeover offer for the company. Based on our initial recommendation price of… Read More

These Three Can Handle Wal-Mart

Thanks to Free Trade Agreement with the United States, many U.S. retail chains have expanded their operations in Canada. That includes Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer. Wal-Mart’s sophisticated inventory control systems and leverage with suppliers let it sell products for less than most of its… Read More

Canadian Tire Corp. $70 – Toronto symbol CTC.A

CANADIAN TIRE CORP. $70 (Toronto symbol CTC.A; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer Growth Portfolio; Shares outstanding: 81.7 million; Market cap: $5.7 billion; SI Rating: Above average) and its associated dealers operate 465 stores that specialize in automotive equipment, home improvement and sporting goods. The group also… Read More