George Weston (TSE:WN) Hits New 1-Year High at $219.28

George Weston Limited (TSE:WN)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as C$219.28 and last traded at C$219.08, with a volume of 14473 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$214.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of George Weston from C$200.00 to C$212.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of George Weston from C$196.00 to C$220.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. TD Securities dropped their price target on George Weston from C$246.00 to C$242.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Desjardins increased their price target on shares of George Weston from C$212.00 to C$232.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, CIBC lifted their price objective on George Weston from C$235.00 to C$254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of C$229.67.

George Weston Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 159.31, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average is C$204.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$189.81. The stock has a market capitalization of C$29.01 billion, a PE ratio of 22.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.38.

George Weston Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Sunday, September 15th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. George Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.64%.

Insider Activity at George Weston

In related news, Director Willard Galen Garfield Weston sold 154 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$207.04, for a total value of C$31,884.16. In related news, Director Willard Galen Garfield Weston sold 154 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$207.04, for a total transaction of C$31,884.16. Also, Senior Officer Rashid Wasti sold 1,307 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$193.25, for a total value of C$252,577.75. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $2,990,208. 58.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About George Weston

George Weston Limited provides food and drug retailing, and financial services in Canada. The company operates through two segments, Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) and Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (Choice Properties). The Loblaw segment provides grocery, pharmacy and healthcare services, health and beauty products, apparel, general merchandise, and financial services.