George Weston Limited (TSE:WN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

George Weston Limited (TSE:WN) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$216.67.

Several analysts recently commented on WN shares. Scotiabank raised their target price on George Weston from C$200.00 to C$212.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of George Weston from C$185.00 to C$196.00 in a report on Wednesday. TD Securities increased their price target on shares of George Weston from C$226.00 to C$227.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Desjardins lifted their price objective on shares of George Weston from C$205.00 to C$212.00 in a report on Wednesday. Finally, CIBC increased their target price on shares of George Weston from C$222.00 to C$235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

George Weston Stock Performance

WN opened at C$188.98 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 158.23. George Weston has a 12-month low of C$144.41 and a 12-month high of C$194.02. The firm has a 50 day moving average of C$181.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$170.91. The firm has a market capitalization of C$25.40 billion, a PE ratio of 17.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.38.

George Weston (TSE:WN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported C$2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. George Weston had a net margin of 2.56% and a return on equity of 19.71%. The firm had revenue of C$14.70 billion during the quarter. On average, analysts anticipate that George Weston will post 11.8758003 EPS for the current year.

George Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. This is a boost from George Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. George Weston’s payout ratio is currently 26.49%.

Insider Activity at George Weston

In related news, Senior Officer Richard Dufresne sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$181.41, for a total transaction of C$1,814,055.00. In other news, Senior Officer Rashid Wasti sold 1,086 shares of George Weston stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$176.24, for a total transaction of C$191,393.60. Also, Senior Officer Richard Dufresne sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$181.41, for a total transaction of C$1,814,055.00. In the last three months, insiders have sold 151,008 shares of company stock valued at $24,350,724. 58.21% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.