George Weston (WN) Competitors

George Weston (TSE:WN) and Loblaw Companies (TSE:L) are both large-cap consumer defensive companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, media sentiment and institutional ownership.

Do analysts prefer WN or L?

George Weston currently has a consensus target price of C$301.00, indicating a potential upside of 15.58%. Loblaw Companies has a consensus target price of C$244.50, indicating a potential upside of 9.37%. Given George Weston's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe George Weston is more favorable than Loblaw Companies.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
George Weston	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.80
Loblaw Companies	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.75

Which has more volatility & risk, WN or L?

George Weston has a beta of 0.42, suggesting that its share price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Loblaw Companies has a beta of 0.17, suggesting that its share price is 83% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media prefer WN or L?

In the previous week, George Weston had 4 more articles in the media than Loblaw Companies. MarketBeat recorded 24 mentions for George Weston and 20 mentions for Loblaw Companies. Loblaw Companies' average media sentiment score of 0.66 beat George Weston's score of 0.48 indicating that Loblaw Companies is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
George Weston	3 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Loblaw Companies	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is WN or L a better dividend stock?

George Weston pays an annual dividend of C$3.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Loblaw Companies pays an annual dividend of C$2.05 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. George Weston pays out 65.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Loblaw Companies pays out 27.8% 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 higher valuation and earnings, WN or L?

Loblaw Companies has lower revenue, but higher earnings than George Weston. Loblaw Companies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than George Weston, 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
George Weston	C$60.42B	0.56	C$648.55M	C$5.00	52.13
Loblaw Companies	C$60.23B	1.12	C$2.23B	C$7.37	30.35

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in WN or L?

15.2% of George Weston shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 20.7% of Loblaw Companies shares are owned by institutional investors. 59.4% of George Weston shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 53.8% of Loblaw Companies shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is WN or L more profitable?

Loblaw Companies has a net margin of 3.71% compared to George Weston's net margin of 1.07%. Loblaw Companies' return on equity of 19.90% beat George Weston's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
George Weston	1.07%	10.33%	5.75%
Loblaw Companies	3.71%	19.90%	5.89%

Summary

Loblaw Companies beats George Weston on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.