Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) Receives $60.62 Average PT from Analysts

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Reduce" from the fifteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $60.62.

Several research firms recently weighed in on ADM. Stephens began coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $57.00 to $52.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $60.00 to $56.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $55.00 to $51.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Archer-Daniels-Midland

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC boosted its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 39.8% in the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 737 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 78.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Price Performance

Shares of ADM stock traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $49.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,151,304 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,121,364. Archer-Daniels-Midland has a fifty-two week low of $48.92 and a fifty-two week high of $74.02. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $53.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $23.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.11 and a beta of 0.72.

Archer-Daniels-Midland announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback 100,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. Archer-Daniels-Midland's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.14%.

About Archer-Daniels-Midland

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company engages in the procurement, transportation, storage, processing, and merchandising of agricultural commodities, ingredients, flavors, and solutions in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition.