Loblaw Companies (TSE:L) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L)’s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of C$177.99 and traded as high as C$187.59. Loblaw Companies shares last traded at C$187.16, with a volume of 307,529 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

L has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group set a C$225.00 price target on shares of Loblaw Companies and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. TD Securities reduced their target price on Loblaw Companies from C$203.00 to C$202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Loblaw Companies from C$205.00 to C$217.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Scotiabank lowered 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 report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Desjardins boosted their target price on Loblaw Companies from C$172.00 to C$190.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Loblaw Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of C$201.88.

Loblaw Companies Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of C$56.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.17. The business has a 50 day moving average price of C$186.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$178.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 163.32, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Loblaw Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 30th were paid a dividend of $0.513 per share. This represents a $2.05 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Loblaw Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Loblaw Companies news, Director Christie James Beckett Clark sold 2,105 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. 53.77% of the stock is owned by 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.