Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Moderate Buy consensus from seven brokerages (six buy, one hold) with an average 12‑month price target of C$92.63.
• Major Canadian brokers including RBC, Scotiabank, BMO, National Bank and CIBC have recently raised their price targets (e.g., RBC to C$72, Scotiabank to C$70), reflecting analyst upgrades.
• Loblaw declared a quarterly dividend of C$0.1411 (annualized C$0.56, yield 0.9%), payable April 1 with an ex‑dividend date of March 13.

Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$92.63.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on L. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$68.00 to C$70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Loblaw Companies from C$63.00 to C$68.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. National Bank Financial lifted their target price on Loblaw Companies from C$62.00 to C$66.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Loblaw Companies from C$68.00 to C$72.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upped their price target on Loblaw Companies from C$58.50 to C$67.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 13th.

Loblaw Companies Price Performance

TSE L opened at C$62.29 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$63.93 and a 200-day moving average price of C$60.08. Loblaw Companies has a 52 week low of C$45.47 and a 52 week high of C$69.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 227.92. The firm has a market capitalization of C$73.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.06, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.29.

Loblaw Companies (TSE:L - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported C$0.67 EPS for the quarter. Loblaw Companies had a net margin of 4.17% and a return on equity of 24.03%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Loblaw Companies will post 9.1225541 earnings per share for the current year.

Loblaw Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.1411 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Loblaw Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.84%.

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.

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