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Loblaw Companies Limited

L.TO
50
Grocery Stores · Consumer Defensive
Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Winston Score
50
Winston is curious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Good
Growth
Weak
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Good
Valuation
Mixed
Dividends
Weak

Winston Score History

The full picture

Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's largest food and pharmacy retailer. It runs grocery stores, pharmacies, and clothing stores under well-known banners like Loblaws, No Frills, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Joe Fresh. It serves everyday Canadian shoppers looking for groceries, medicine, beauty products, and basic clothing.

Loblaw makes money by selling products directly to consumers across its roughly 2,400 store locations, which operate almost entirely in Canada. It also earns revenue through its PC Financial services arm, including the PC Optimum loyalty program and co-branded credit cards, which help keep customers coming back. Its scale, owned real estate, private-label brands like President's Choice and No Name, and dominant pharmacy network give it a strong competitive position in a market with few large rivals. The main risk is ongoing pressure from consumers and regulators over grocery pricing, which has drawn significant public and government scrutiny in recent years.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+2.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

-72.8% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

Insider Activity

52.9%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

C$1.1B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

→ Burn rate stable

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

Loblaw Companies Limited is growing revenue at 3% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
32.2%
Modest — 32.2% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
8.1%
Modest — 8.1% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
24.6%
Exceptional — 24.6% return on capital

ROIC between 15% and 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns 15 to 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+3.7%
Slow sales growth (+3.7% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-70.7%
Earnings shrinking (-70.7% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
3/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
234%
Turns 234% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
7.4%
Modest free cash flow (7.4%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.69
Moderate — manageable debt (0.69)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
6.39x
Adequate interest coverage (6.4x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
25.3x
no trend
Growth-priced — P/E 25.3

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+0.5
GROWING
Earnings roughly flat

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
0.91%
no trend
Small dividend — 0.91% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
-65.8%
no trend
Dividend cut (-65.8% YoY) — warning sign

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