Metro gains on improved efficiency

Article Excerpt

The shares of grocery store operator Metro have jumped 56% in the past five years. They, in fact, hit a new all-time high of $87.94 in November 2024. That gain is largely due to improving efficiency. Retailers typically operate on low margins, so even small cost savings can have a big impact on profits. We expect the stock will continue to rise in the next few years as Metro realizes the benefits from two new distribution warehouses that use robotic sorting equipment. That will cut its labour costs. The company’s improving earnings will also let it keep rewarding investors with higher dividends—it has increased the annual payment each of the past 30 years. METRO INC. $86 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol MRU; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 228.7 million; Market cap: $19.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 1.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.metro.ca) is Canada’s third-largest operator of supermarkets and drugstores after Loblaw (No. 1) and Sobeys (No. 2). The company now has…