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

Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$199.38.

A number of research firms have issued reports on L. CIBC raised their target price on Loblaw Companies from C$206.00 to C$208.00 in a report on Friday, February 21st. TD Securities lowered their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$202.00 to C$195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$205.00 to C$217.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Scotiabank lowered shares of Loblaw Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a C$200.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$225.00 to C$210.00 in a research report on Friday, February 21st.

Insider Activity at Loblaw Companies

In other Loblaw Companies news, Director Richard Dufresne sold 25,783 shares of Loblaw Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$186.55, for a total transaction of C$4,809,847.01. Also, Senior Officer Kieran Barry Columb sold 11,309 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$186.55, for a total transaction of C$2,109,706.39. Insiders have sold a total of 141,456 shares of company stock valued at $25,966,244 over the last quarter. 53.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Loblaw Companies Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of TSE:L opened at C$196.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 166.11, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is C$184.67 and its 200-day moving average is C$182.86. The company has a market cap of C$59.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.17. Loblaw Companies has a 52-week low of C$145.80 and a 52-week high of C$197.00.

Loblaw Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.513 per share. This represents a $2.05 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Loblaw Companies’s payout ratio is 27.83%.

About Loblaw Companies

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.