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

Shares of Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned 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$201.88.

L has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. CIBC increased their price target on Loblaw Companies from C$189.00 to C$206.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Scotiabank downgraded Loblaw Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a C$200.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Desjardins raised their price target on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$172.00 to C$190.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$205.00 to C$217.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, National Bankshares raised their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$188.00 to C$195.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 14th.

Insider Activity

In other Loblaw Companies news, Director Christie James Beckett Clark sold 2,105 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$189.69, for a total transaction of C$399,297.45. Insiders own 53.77% of the company’s stock.

Loblaw Companies Stock Performance

Shares of TSE:L opened at C$181.36 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 163.32. Loblaw Companies has a 12 month low of C$129.00 and a 12 month high of C$196.49. The company has a market capitalization of C$55.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.48, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average is C$186.54 and its 200 day moving average is C$177.01.

Loblaw Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 30th were issued a $0.513 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 31.06%.

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.