George Weston (TSE:WN) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• George Weston shares reached a new 52-week high of C$111.49 and last traded at C$110.99, up from the prior close of C$107.99.
• Analyst sentiment is positive: BMO upgraded the stock to “outperform,” CIBC assigned a C$134 target, and the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with a C$115.83 price target.
• The company reported quarterly revenue of C$15.20 billion and EPS of C$1.08, while an insider sold 20,000 shares; insiders sold 70,000 shares in total over the past quarter.

George Weston Limited (TSE:WN - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday. The company traded as high as C$111.49 and last traded at C$110.99, with a volume of 48,275 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$107.99.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce set a C$134.00 target price on George Weston and gave the company an "outperformer" rating in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets upgraded George Weston from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from C$103.00 to C$113.00 in a report on Monday, July 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, George Weston presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of C$115.83.

George Weston Stock Up 1.6%

The business's fifty day moving average is C$101.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$100.38. The company has a market cap of C$41.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 438.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.05.

George Weston (TSE:WN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported C$1.08 EPS for the quarter. George Weston had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 20.42%. The business had revenue of C$15.20 billion for the quarter. Equities analysts predict that George Weston Limited will post 13.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at George Weston

In related news, insider Richard Dufresne sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of C$98.56, for a total value of C$1,971,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 19,911 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$1,962,428.16. This represents a 50.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Insiders sold a total of 70,000 shares of company stock valued at $7,017,600 over the last quarter. 59.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

George Weston Company Profile

George Weston is a holding company that operates through two subsidiaries encompassing retail and real estate. The first is Loblaw, the largest grocer in Canada, in which it has a 53% controlling stake. The second is Choice Properties, an open-ended real estate investment trust, where George Weston's ownership sits close to 62%. The company sold Weston Foods, a North American bakery, in early 2022, which the firm had previously wholly owned. While the two remaining entities are separate, they operate under a contractual, as well as tacit, framework of strategic business partnerships.

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