Quad Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Quad Graphics, Inc (NYSE:QUAD) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $11.15 and last traded at $10.8180, with a volume of 734737 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $10.39.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

QUAD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Quad Graphics from $9.80 to $13.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Quad Graphics in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price objective on Quad Graphics from $10.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quad Graphics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

Quad Graphics Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $8.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $557.78 million, a PE ratio of 17.17 and a beta of 1.11.

Quad Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.04. Quad Graphics had a net margin of 1.31% and a return on equity of 47.90%. The firm had revenue of $577.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $545.15 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Quad Graphics, Inc will post 1.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Quad Graphics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Quad Graphics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.49%.

Institutional Trading of Quad Graphics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in QUAD. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Quad Graphics by 192.3% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 152,297 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $955,000 after buying an additional 100,197 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Quad Graphics by 50.4% in the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 267,064 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,765,000 after acquiring an additional 89,505 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quad Graphics in the 1st quarter valued at $1,672,000. Miller Value Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Quad Graphics by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Miller Value Partners LLC now owns 2,737,890 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $17,167,000 after acquiring an additional 114,415 shares during the period. Finally, Baron Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quad Graphics during the 1st quarter valued at $145,000. 39.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Quad Graphics

Quad Graphics, Inc (NYSE: QUAD) is a global provider of print and related marketing services, serving a diverse range of clients in the publishing, retail, e-commerce and consumer packaged goods sectors. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span traditional print production, supply chain management and digital marketing support. Quad Graphics leverages a network of production facilities and distribution centers to deliver high-quality printed materials and integrated marketing programs that help clients reach their target audiences across multiple channels.

The company’s core offerings include magazine and catalog printing, direct mail, retail inserts, shopper marketing materials, custom packaging and point-of-sale displays.