Loblaw Companies (TSE:L) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$163.49 and traded as high as C$178.60. Loblaw Companies shares last traded at C$177.55, with a volume of 365,630 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

L has been the topic of several recent research reports. CIBC raised their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$171.00 to C$189.00 in a report on Friday, July 26th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$160.00 to C$180.00 in a report on Friday, July 26th. National Bankshares raised their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$159.00 to C$175.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. TD Securities increased their price target on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$172.00 to C$186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Desjardins increased their price target on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$157.00 to C$172.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of C$176.43.

Loblaw Companies Trading Down 0.2 %

The company has a market cap of C$54.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.17. The business's fifty day moving average price is C$174.35 and its 200 day moving average price is C$163.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 163.32, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.68.

Loblaw Companies (TSE:L - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported C$2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of C$2.14 by C$0.01. The company had revenue of C$13.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$14.07 billion. Loblaw Companies had a net margin of 3.46% and a return on equity of 19.22%. Research analysts anticipate that Loblaw Companies Limited will post 9.1225541 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Loblaw Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.513 per share. This represents a $2.05 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. Loblaw Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Loblaw Companies news, Director Willard Galen Garfield Weston sold 296 shares of Loblaw Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$165.15, for a total value of C$48,884.02. In other Loblaw Companies news, Director Willard Galen Garfield Weston sold 296 shares of Loblaw Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$165.15, for a total value of C$48,884.02. Also, Senior Officer Nicholas Henn sold 164 shares of Loblaw Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$165.15, for a total transaction of C$27,084.39. 53.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Loblaw Companies

Loblaw Companies Limited, a food and pharmacy company, provides grocery, pharmacy and healthcare services, health and beauty products, apparels, general merchandise, financial services, and wireless mobile products and services in Canada. It operates in two segments, Retail and Financial Services. The Retail segment operates corporate and franchise-owned retail food, and associate-owned drug stores.