Top grocers aim to unlock value

Article Excerpt

Both Loblaw and Metro have moved up sharply in the past few months. That’s mainly because they are taking steps to unlock some of their hidden value, including selling real estate and other investments. The companies will likely use the cash from the sales to keep improving their stores and other operations. That will help them compete with U.S. retailer Target Corp. (New York symbol TGT), which will open its first stores in Canada later this year. Loblaw and Metro may also use some of the cash to buy back shares and increase their dividends. Even after their recent gains, we feel both Loblaw and Metro still have plenty of growth ahead. LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD. $41 (Toronto symbol L; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 281.5 million; Market cap: $11.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.loblaw.ca) is Canada’s largest food retailer, with roughly 1,000 stores. George Weston Ltd. (Toronto symbol WN) owns 63%…