George Weston (TSE:WN) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Shares of George Weston Limited (TSE:WN - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$206.08 and traded as high as C$223.61. George Weston shares last traded at C$222.40, with a volume of 89,407 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on WN. Desjardins lifted their price objective on shares of George Weston from C$212.00 to C$232.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Scotiabank raised shares of George Weston to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. TD Securities reduced their price objective on shares of George Weston from C$246.00 to C$242.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. CIBC lifted their price objective on shares of George Weston from C$235.00 to C$254.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on George Weston from C$196.00 to C$220.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of C$229.67.

George Weston Stock Up 0.7 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 171.94. The company has a market cap of C$29.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05, a P/E/G ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of C$222.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$206.08.

George Weston (TSE:WN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported C$2.93 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$14.09 billion during the quarter. George Weston had a return on equity of 17.52% and a net margin of 2.06%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that George Weston Limited will post 13.0245758 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at George Weston

In related news, Director Alannah Elizabeth Weston sold 36,865 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of C$226.64, for a total value of C$8,355,124.15. In other George Weston news, Senior Officer Richard Dufresne sold 4,400 shares of George Weston stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$226.89, for a total value of C$998,326.12. Also, Director Alannah Elizabeth Weston sold 36,865 shares of George Weston stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$226.64, for a total value of C$8,355,124.15. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 9,400 shares of company stock valued at $202,958 and sold 54,419 shares valued at $12,242,452. 59.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About George Weston

George Weston Limited provides food and drug retailing, and financial services in Canada. The company operates through two segments, Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) and Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (Choice Properties). The Loblaw segment provides grocery, pharmacy and healthcare services, health and beauty products, apparel, general merchandise, and financial services.