Updating McKesson Corp., State Street Corp. and Tim Hortons Inc.

Article Excerpt

MCKESSON CORP. $171 (www.mckesson.com) has expanded its distribution contract with drugstore chain Rite Aid Corp. (New York symbol RAD). Under this new five-year deal, McKesson will be the exclusive distributor of generic drugs to Rite Aid’s 4,600 stores in 31 U.S. states. Demand for generic pharmaceuticals should jump over the next few years as more top-selling branded drugs lose their patent protection. Buy. STATE STREET CORP. $66 (www.statestreet.com) intends to raise its quarterly dividend by 15.4%, to $0.30 a share from $0.26. The new annual rate of $1.20 yields 1.8%. Buy. TIM HORTONS INC. $55 (www.timhortons.com) is replacing the fluorescent lights in its 4,400 North American coffee-and-donut outlets with energy-efficient LED bulbs. Besides cutting its power costs, this move should also enhance the company’s appeal among environmentally conscious consumers. Buy. Buy…