Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM) Rating Increased to Neutral at Bank of America

Bank of America upgraded shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM - Free Report) from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports. Bank of America currently has $47.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $48.00.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on ADM. Barclays decreased their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $55.00 to $52.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $51.00 to $49.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $52.75.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Stock Up 3.7 %

Shares of NYSE ADM traded up $1.72 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $47.85. 3,503,095 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,648,314. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.39. Archer-Daniels-Midland has a fifty-two week low of $40.98 and a fifty-two week high of $66.08. The business's fifty day moving average is $46.58 and its 200 day moving average is $50.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.66.

Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.07. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 2.10%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Archer-Daniels-Midland will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from Archer-Daniels-Midland's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.26%. Archer-Daniels-Midland's payout ratio is 56.51%.

Institutional Trading of Archer-Daniels-Midland

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ADM. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its position in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,730,182 shares of the company's stock valued at $87,409,000 after purchasing an additional 360,844 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 56.7% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,473,393 shares of the company's stock worth $123,340,000 after buying an additional 894,562 shares during the last quarter. Hickory Point Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the fourth quarter worth $1,217,000. Semanteon Capital Management LP bought a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland in the fourth quarter valued at about $614,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP boosted its position in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 127.7% in the fourth quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 46,950 shares of the company's stock worth $2,372,000 after purchasing an additional 26,329 shares during the last quarter. 78.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.