Loblaw poised to soar even higher

Article Excerpt

Loblaw continues to report rising sales and earnings, but that’s not stopping it from closing less profitable stores and further integrating its operations with Shoppers Drug Mart. Both of these moves will cut its costs and boost its prospects. The stock has soared to new all-time highs for us, but we still see it as a safety-conscious buy. LOBLAW COMPANIES $72.20 (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 412.6 million; Market cap: $29.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.4%; www.loblaw.ca) is Canada’s largest food retailer. Loblaw plans to close 52 underperforming stores in the next year, including supermarkets, gas bars and stand-alone Joe Fresh clothing outlets. Following these closures, it will operate roughly 2,400 stores, including 1,250 Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies. The move will cut Loblaw’s yearly sales by $300 million, but it should add $35 million to $40 million to its annual gross profits. It also expects to save at least $200 million this year by merging its warehouses…