George Weston (WN) Competitors

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

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, L or WN?

Loblaw Companies has higher earnings, but lower revenue 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
Loblaw Companies	C$62.29B	1.04	C$2.23B	C$2.02	26.93
George Weston	C$62.89B	0.52	C$648.55M	C$2.56	33.18

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

7.9% of Loblaw Companies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 6.5% of George Weston shares are held by institutional investors. 53.8% of Loblaw Companies shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 59.4% of George Weston shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media refer more to L or WN?

In the previous week, Loblaw Companies had 3 more articles in the media than George Weston. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for Loblaw Companies and 4 mentions for George Weston. Loblaw Companies' average media sentiment score of 0.20 beat George Weston's score of 0.13 indicating that Loblaw Companies is being referred to more favorably in the media.

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

Which has more volatility and risk, L or WN?

Loblaw Companies has a beta of 0.423253, indicating that its stock price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, George Weston has a beta of 0.557063, indicating that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is L or WN 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
Loblaw Companies	3.71%	19.90%	5.89%
George Weston	1.07%	10.33%	5.75%

Do analysts rate L or WN?

Loblaw Companies currently has a consensus price target of C$199.25, suggesting a potential upside of 266.67%. George Weston has a consensus price target of C$101.00, suggesting a potential upside of 18.92%. Given Loblaw Companies' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Loblaw Companies is more favorable than George Weston.

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
George Weston	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.80

Is L or WN a better dividend stock?

Loblaw Companies pays an annual dividend of C$0.53 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. George Weston pays an annual dividend of C$1.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Loblaw Companies pays out 26.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. George Weston pays out 43.7% 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.

Summary

Loblaw Companies beats George Weston on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.