Saputo (TSE:SAP) Sets New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as C$22.59 and last traded at C$23.30, with a volume of 1128170 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$22.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Securities lowered their price target on shares of Saputo from C$38.00 to C$37.00 in a report on Monday, November 11th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Saputo from C$36.00 to C$32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Saputo from C$39.00 to C$38.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Saputo from C$30.00 to C$27.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, National Bankshares decreased their price target on Saputo from C$31.00 to C$28.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$32.94.

Saputo Stock Up 1.9 %

The company has a fifty day moving average price of C$25.42 and a 200 day moving average price of C$28.16. The company has a market cap of C$9.89 billion, a PE ratio of 36.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.17, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Saputo (TSE:SAP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported C$0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$0.39 by C($0.02). Saputo had a net margin of 1.50% and a return on equity of 3.72%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Saputo Inc. will post 1.7735369 EPS for the current year.

Saputo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. Saputo’s payout ratio is 120.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saputo

In related news, Senior Officer Leanne Cutts acquired 4,000 shares of Saputo stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of C$26.25 per share, with a total value of C$105,000.00. Company insiders own 40.45% of the company’s stock.

Saputo Company Profile

Saputo Inc produces, markets, and distributes dairy products in Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The company offers cheeses, including mozzarella and cheddar; specialty cheeses, such as ricotta, provolone, blue, parmesan, goat cheese, feta, romano, and havarti; fine cheeses comprising brie and camembert; and other cheeses that include brick, colby, farmer, munster, monterey jack, fresh curd, and processed cheeses.