Loblaw, Shoppers, GE Announce Earnings for the Quarter. Corporate Profits are Healthy in Canada and the U.S.

General Electric (NYSE: GE)

Revenues and profits soared for the world's largest manufacturer of jet engines and turbines for power plants. Second quarter profit came in at $3.69 billion, up from $3.03 billion last year. On a per share basis this is 35 cents versus 28 cents. This is a healthy gain for a company once written off by many during the recent recession.

Revenues fell slightly to about $36 billion as it sold the majority of its stake in NBC Universal to Comcast Corp. Considering, however, that analyst estimates for GE had been $35 billion, the slight decline is good news. The major developments in the company during the quarter were in the area of its energy business, which made acquisitions totalling over $11 billion. In the future, the upside potential in this business for GE could be substantial.

For more on GE check out Reuters News Service.

Loblaw Companies Ltd. (TSE: L)

Canadian grocery heavyweight Loblaw Companies Ltd. announced stronger second quarter results today. Loblaw's earnings came in at $197 million, or 67 cents on a per share basis. Last year, Loblaw's earned $181 million or 64 cents per share. Revenues also rose by a small margin to $7.28 billion.

However, all is not good news at Loblaw. Already competing against Wal-Mart, Sobeys, Metro, and Costco, the company will soon by vying with Target, which will surely take a bite out of both its grocery business and new Joe Fresh line.

Employee wages, however, have been under intense pressure at the retailer and the UFCW has been unable to effectively keep wages much higher than they are at competitors. Cheaper labour costs will undoubtedly give Loblaw a fighting edge, even though its employee morale is said to be in the basement at most stores.

Shoppers Drug Mart (TSE: SC)

Canada's largest drug store chain announced higher quarterly results today. Even without a permanent CEO, the company edged out many of its rivals and reported a second quarter profit of $148 million, or 68 cents per share. Last year, the company earned $146 million or 67 cents per share. Since analysts were looking for a per share profit of $67 cents for Shoppers, they beat estimates by a penny, and, overall, performed reasonably well.

Performing particularly well were its "front-of-store" sales, which include the items most commonly thought of at Shoppers next to prescriptions... cosmetics etc. Non-prescription sales at Shoppers were up 3.8 percent, which more than made up for a decline in prescriptions of 1 percent.

Many Shoppers' shareholders, including myself, have been worried as of late about the decline in prescriptions due to generic drug pricing in Ontario, and the loss of the company's CEO, but as the numbers indicate, profits are rising, albeit slightly, and good money is being made. Hopefully a new CEO is found soon,  but until then, just stay the course with this Canadian retail gem.

Happy Investing : )

Look Here for Dividend Growth. Many Investors are Looking for General Electric to Raise its Dividend Again.

General Electric could be well on its way to becoming a dividend aristocrat again. Having once paid a dividend of 31cents per quarter, the company was forced to slash its dividend to 10cents during the height of the financial crisis. MarketWatch, among others, have begun reporting that the company is poised to raise its dividend again. 


GE, (NYSE: GE), has now boosted its dividend for the last three quarters and it now stands at a healthy 15cents per share. Half of what it once was, but rising quickly. The CEO, Jeff Immelt, noted that the company's financial health is back on track, and that he hopes to have GE back to issuing annual dividend increases... something the Intelligent Investor should look for. 


The company has a much simpler group of businesses than it did pre-recession, having downsized its financial wing, and spun off its entertainment division into a joint-venture. On the horizon is big growth in its energy infrastructure unit, which has been making key strategic acquisitions during recent years. So, to include some dividend growth in your portfolio, and help you diversify away from your Canadian bread and butter, take a look at General Electric. 


For more information: 
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/investors-look-for-dividend-hikes-from-general-electric-and-3m-this-earnings-season-2011-07-04?reflink=MW_news_stmp 


Happy Investing.

The World's Most Valuable Brands. Apple, Google, and IBM Take the Lead.

Reuters news agency has released a list of the world's most valuable brands. The annual BrandZ study reveals that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) now leads its rivals Microsoft and Google by a wide margin. The iPad maker's brand is now worth an estimated $153 billion dollars, which amounts to about half of the company's market capitalization. Simply put, consumers are now far more apt to pay more for many of Apple's products due to the company's brand name recognition.

Like most successful luxury brands, Apple has been able to use higher prices to reinforce the value of the brand in the consumer's eyes. Hype and effective marketing of its products have now left consumers clamouring for every new gadget or device the company releases, which has allowed the company to reap profit margins in the range of 20 - 30 % after taxes and all other expenses have been paid. That is a healthy margin that leaves the company with lots of room for shareholders to breathe.

The Top Brands by Value:

1. Apple
2. Google

3. IBM

4. McDonald's

5. Microsoft

6. Coca-Cola

7. AT&T

8. Marlboro

9. China Mobile

10. General Electric

Clearly, technology companies dominate the ranking this year, with old stalwarts like McDonald's, Coke, Marlboro, and GE rounding out the rest. 

Why cigarette maker Marlboro? There are still many loyal cigarette consumers in North America and Europe, and though it is declining slowly here, the popularity of smoking is booming in Asia, where there is often a fascination for everything American. The same is very much the case for McDonald's, which is seeing a rise in the value of its brand as Asian consumers develop a taste for unhealthy fast-food of the North-American variety.

As a shareholder or investor, it is always important to pay close attention to the brand awareness of consumers. Brands provide a moat, or a defensive wall around your business that is often very powerful at preventing competitors from stealing away your customers.

Happy Investing and be sure to own some top brands in your portfolio's.