Brokerages Set Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L) Target Price at C$199.38

Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$199.38.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on L shares. Scotiabank lowered shares of Loblaw Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a C$200.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$205.00 to C$217.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. TD Securities decreased their price target on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$202.00 to C$195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. National Bankshares raised their price objective on Loblaw Companies from C$188.00 to C$195.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Loblaw Companies from C$225.00 to C$210.00 in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Loblaw Companies Price Performance

Shares of L opened at C$184.24 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 166.11. The stock has a market cap of C$55.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is C$183.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$180.94. Loblaw Companies has a 1 year low of C$141.59 and a 1 year high of C$196.49.

Loblaw Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Loblaw Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Loblaw Companies

In related news, Director Willard Galen Garfield Weston sold 104,364 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$182.50, for a total transaction of C$19,046,690.91. Also, Director Christie James Beckett Clark sold 2,105 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 have sold 143,561 shares of company stock valued at $26,365,542 in the last 90 days. 53.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.