Loblaw Companies (L) Competitors

Loblaw Companies (TSE:L) and Manulife Financial (TSE:MFC) are both large-cap insurance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitability, valuation and institutional ownership.

Does the media prefer L or MFC?

In the previous week, Manulife Financial had 9 more articles in the media than Loblaw Companies. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Manulife Financial and 4 mentions for Loblaw Companies. Manulife Financial's average media sentiment score of 0.49 beat Loblaw Companies' score of 0.14 indicating that Manulife Financial is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Loblaw Companies	1 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Manulife Financial	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is L or MFC a better dividend stock?

Loblaw Companies pays an annual dividend of C$0.53 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Manulife Financial pays an annual dividend of C$1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. Loblaw Companies pays out 26.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Manulife Financial pays out 54.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Which has more volatility & risk, L or MFC?

Loblaw Companies has a beta of 0.288064, suggesting that its share price is 71% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Manulife Financial has a beta of 0.927708, suggesting that its share price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has better valuation & earnings, L or MFC?

Manulife Financial has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Loblaw Companies. Manulife Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Loblaw Companies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Loblaw Companies	C$62.29B	1.13	C$2.23B	C$2.02	29.33
Manulife Financial	-C$10.77B	-6.95	C$5.64B	C$3.10	14.30

Is L or MFC more profitable?

Manulife Financial has a net margin of 12.52% compared to Loblaw Companies' net margin of 3.71%. Loblaw Companies' return on equity of 19.90% beat Manulife Financial's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Loblaw Companies	3.71%	19.90%	5.89%
Manulife Financial	12.52%	11.75%	0.55%

Do analysts rate L or MFC?

Loblaw Companies currently has a consensus target price of C$199.25, indicating a potential upside of 236.68%. Manulife Financial has a consensus target price of C$48.89, indicating a potential upside of 10.26%. Given Loblaw Companies' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Loblaw Companies is more favorable than Manulife Financial.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Loblaw Companies	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.75
Manulife Financial	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.71

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of L or MFC?

13.8% of Loblaw Companies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.9% of Manulife Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 53.8% of Loblaw Companies shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Manulife Financial shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Loblaw Companies beats Manulife Financial on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.