George Weston (TSE:WN) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average of $167.04

Shares of George Weston Limited (TSE:WN) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$167.04 and traded as high as C$179.42. George Weston shares last traded at C$177.25, with a volume of 77,008 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WN. TD Securities lifted their price target on shares of George Weston from C$205.00 to C$215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of George Weston from C$216.00 to C$218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. CIBC raised their price objective on shares of George Weston from C$213.00 to C$222.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of George Weston from C$172.00 to C$185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, George Weston presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of C$201.00.

George Weston Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of C$23.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 158.23. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is C$178.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$167.04.

George Weston (TSE:WN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported C$2.51 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$14.70 billion during the quarter. George Weston had a net margin of 2.56% and a return on equity of 19.71%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that George Weston Limited will post 11.876494 earnings per share for the current year.

George Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.713 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $2.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. George Weston’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other George Weston news, Director Willard Galen Garfield Weston sold 79,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$144.88, for a total value of C$11,474,503.92. In other news, Senior Officer Andrew Michael Bunston sold 2,303 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$183.27, for a total value of C$422,079.10. Also, Director Willard Galen Garfield Weston sold 79,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$144.88, for a total transaction of C$11,474,503.92. Insiders have sold 151,008 shares of company stock worth $24,350,724 in the last quarter. 58.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

George Weston Company Profile

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.