Saputo (TSE:SAP) Reaches New 1-Year Low at $25.52

Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as C$25.52 and last traded at C$25.53, with a volume of 17638 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$25.81.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on SAP shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Saputo from C$40.00 to C$36.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 2nd. TD Securities reduced their price objective on Saputo from C$40.00 to C$36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 12th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Saputo from C$31.50 to C$32.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. CIBC reduced their price objective on Saputo from C$36.00 to C$35.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, National Bankshares reduced their price objective on Saputo from C$35.00 to C$33.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of C$33.81.

Saputo Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of C$10.85 billion, a PE ratio of 32.81, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 58.27, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of C$26.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$27.18.

Saputo (TSE:SAP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported C$0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$0.40 by C($0.02). Saputo had a return on equity of 4.76% and a net margin of 1.92%. The firm had revenue of C$4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of C$4.38 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Saputo Inc. will post 1.9167852 earnings per share for the current year.

Saputo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.185 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 4th. This represents a $0.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Saputo’s payout ratio is currently 94.87%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Senior Officer Gaétane Wagner acquired 3,535 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of C$28.27 per share, with a total value of C$99,916.78. In other news, Director Maxime Therrien sold 31,290 shares of Saputo stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$28.24, for a total transaction of C$883,629.60. Also, Senior Officer Gaétane Wagner bought 3,535 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of C$28.27 per share, for a total transaction of C$99,916.78. Insiders have purchased a total of 15,190 shares of company stock valued at $425,567 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 42.11% 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.