Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

by · The Cerbat Gem

Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L – Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$145.57.

L has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Securities raised their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$140.00 to C$150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. National Bankshares lifted their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$142.00 to C$149.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$127.00 to C$137.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. CIBC decreased their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$152.00 to C$150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$174.00 to C$170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 16th.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on L

Loblaw Companies Stock Performance

Shares of L stock traded up C$0.93 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting C$134.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 256,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 331,908. The company has a 50 day moving average of C$124.89 and a 200 day moving average of C$119.50. The stock has a market cap of C$42.47 billion, a PE ratio of 21.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 154.39. Loblaw Companies has a 12-month low of C$110.52 and a 12-month high of C$135.64.

Loblaw Companies (TSE:L – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 15th. The company reported C$2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of C$2.23 by C$0.03. The company had revenue of C$18.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of C$18.23 billion. Loblaw Companies had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 18.60%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Loblaw Companies will post 8.289604 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Loblaw Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, December 30th were issued a $0.446 dividend. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 14th. Loblaw Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William Downe purchased 4,485 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of C$122.72 per share, for a total transaction of C$550,405.93. In other news, Senior Officer Jeffrey Francis Leger sold 8,140 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$123.50, for a total transaction of C$1,005,290.00. Also, Director William Downe bought 4,485 shares of Loblaw Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$122.72 per share, with a total value of C$550,405.93. 54.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Loblaw Companies

(Get Free Report

Loblaw Companies Limited, a food and pharmacy company, engages in the grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, financial services, and wireless mobile products and services businesses in Canada. It operates in two segments, Retail and Financial Services. The Retail segment operates corporate and franchise-owned retail food, and associate-owned drug stores.

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