Loblaw Companies (TSE:L) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$184.23 and traded as high as C$204.44. Loblaw Companies shares last traded at C$198.49, with a volume of 638,279 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on L shares. National Bankshares raised their target price on Loblaw Companies from C$192.00 to C$207.00 in a research report on Thursday. TD Securities cut their price target on Loblaw Companies from C$202.00 to C$195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Loblaw Companies from C$225.00 to C$210.00 in a research note on Friday, February 21st. CIBC increased their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$206.00 to C$208.00 in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of Loblaw Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from C$190.00 to C$215.00 in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of C$202.75.

Loblaw Companies Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of C$62.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.86, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 166.11. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$189.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$185.10.

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Loblaw Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.513 per share. This represents a $2.05 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Loblaw Companies's dividend payout ratio is 27.83%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Willard Galen Garfield Weston sold 104,364 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$182.50, for a total transaction of C$19,046,690.91. Also, Senior Officer Kieran Barry Columb sold 11,309 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$186.55, for a total value of C$2,109,706.39. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 141,456 shares of company stock worth $25,966,244. 53.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.