Loblaw Companies (L) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Loblaw Companies (TSE:L) is scheduled to issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, May 1st. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of C$1.71 per share for the quarter.

Loblaw Companies (TSE:L) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The company reported C$2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$1.92 by C$0.08. Loblaw Companies had a net margin of 3.53% and a return on equity of 18.96%. The business had revenue of C$14.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$14.58 billion.

Loblaw Companies Price Performance

Shares of L opened at C$150.33 on Wednesday. Loblaw Companies has a 1-year low of C$110.52 and a 1-year high of C$154.70. The stock has a market cap of C$46.49 billion, a PE ratio of 23.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 156.41, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of C$147.29 and a 200 day moving average price of C$132.16.

Loblaw Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.446 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. Loblaw Companies’s payout ratio is currently 27.30%.

Insider Transactions at Loblaw Companies

In other news, Senior Officer Kieran Barry Columb sold 10,000 shares of Loblaw Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$150.00, for a total transaction of C$1,500,000.00. In other news, Senior Officer Kieran Barry Columb sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$150.00, for a total transaction of C$1,500,000.00. Also, Senior Officer Frank Gambioli sold 4,603 shares of Loblaw Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$144.00, for a total value of C$662,832.00. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 71,495 shares of company stock worth $10,547,163. 52.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. CIBC cut their price target on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$150.00 to C$149.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$170.00 to C$172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$130.00 to C$145.00 in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Desjardins boosted their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$133.00 to C$148.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, National Bankshares upped their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$153.00 to C$156.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of C$154.04.

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.