COVID-19 won’t halt this investor income

Article Excerpt

The coronavirus has forced Canadian Tire to close most of its stores, while Metro’s supermarkets continue to operate. Even so, both retailers are in a strong position to keep raising their payouts to investors. CANADIAN TIRE CORP. $95 is a buy. This Canadian icon (Toronto symbol CTC.A; Conservative Growth Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 61.5 million; Market cap: $5.8 billion; Dividend yield: 4.8%; Divd. Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.canadiantire.ca) generates earnings from 504 Canadian Tire stores. They sell automotive parts and services, and household and sporting goods. Franchisees run most locations. Investors also tap the company’s other operations: 297 gas stations, 101 PartSource (auto parts) outlets, 380 Mark’s stores (casual clothing) and 402 SportChek, Sports Experts and Atmosphere (athletic shoes and clothing) stores. Canadian Tire increased its quarterly dividend by 9.6% with the March 2020 payment. Investors now receive $1.1375 a share instead of $1.0375. The new annual rate of $4.55 yields a high 4.8%. Due to COVID-19, the company has had to close virtually all of its…