Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$201.88.

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group set a C$225.00 price target on shares of Loblaw Companies and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. TD Securities dropped their target price on Loblaw Companies from C$203.00 to C$202.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Loblaw Companies from C$205.00 to C$217.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Desjardins boosted their price objective on Loblaw Companies from C$172.00 to C$190.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, National Bankshares raised their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$188.00 to C$195.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th.

Loblaw Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

L opened at C$181.98 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is C$186.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$178.72. Loblaw Companies has a 52 week low of C$132.55 and a 52 week high of C$196.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 163.32. The stock has a market cap of C$55.57 billion, a PE ratio of 27.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.17.

Loblaw Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 30th were issued a dividend of $0.513 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.05 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. Loblaw Companies’s payout ratio is presently 31.06%.

Insider Activity at Loblaw Companies

In other news, Director Christie James Beckett Clark sold 2,105 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$189.69, for a total value of C$399,297.45. 53.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Loblaw Companies Company Profile

Loblaw is one of Canada’s largest grocery, pharmacy, and general merchandise retailers, operating the most expansive store footprint in Ontario and maintaining sizable presences in provinces like Quebec and British Columbia. Key grocery banners include Loblaw, No Frills, and Maxi, while its pharmaceutical operations are the product of its 2014 acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart.