Loblaw Companies (TSE:L) Insider Melanie Singh Sells 4,820 Shares of Stock

Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L) insider Melanie Singh sold 4,820 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$66.72, for a total transaction of C$321,590.40.

Loblaw Companies Stock Performance

Shares of L opened at C$65.00 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of C$75.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.26, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 153.41, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.68. Loblaw Companies Limited has a 1-year low of C$52.92 and a 1-year high of C$69.59. The company has a 50-day moving average of C$62.41 and a 200 day moving average of C$62.92.

Loblaw Companies (TSE:L) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported C$0.52 EPS for the quarter. Loblaw Companies had a net margin of 4.29% and a return on equity of 24.88%. The business had revenue of C$14.48 billion for the quarter. On average, research analysts expect that Loblaw Companies Limited will post 9.1225541 EPS for the current year.

Loblaw Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.1552 dividend. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from Loblaw Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Loblaw Companies’s payout ratio is currently 24.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on L. TD Securities lifted their target price on Loblaw Companies from C$65.00 to C$75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Scotiabank lowered Loblaw Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a C$70.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Loblaw Companies from C$63.00 to C$68.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Desjardins upped their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$67.00 to C$70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Scotia dropped their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$70.00 to C$64.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of C$69.25.

Loblaw Companies Company Profile

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. The firm carries a robust private-label assortment, with top sellers like President’s Choice and No Name. In addition to its retail operations, Loblaw oversees a financial-services business, which provides credit card services and guaranteed investment certificates, and also operates its PC Optimum loyalty program.