Empire Company Limited (TSE:EMP.A) Receives C$43.71 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Empire Company Limited (TSE:EMP.A - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the seven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is C$43.71.

EMP.A has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Empire from C$42.00 to C$46.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Empire from C$40.00 to C$43.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. TD Securities increased their target price on Empire from C$38.00 to C$44.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. National Bankshares increased their target price on Empire from C$42.00 to C$46.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Desjardins increased their target price on Empire from C$42.00 to C$44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th.

Empire Stock Performance

Shares of TSE EMP.A traded down C$0.27 during midday trading on Friday, hitting C$41.98. 126,759 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 408,602. The firm has a fifty day moving average of C$40.78 and a 200 day moving average of C$37.07. The stock has a market capitalization of C$5.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.48. Empire has a 1 year low of C$31.45 and a 1 year high of C$42.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 135.51, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Empire Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 15th. Empire's payout ratio is currently 29.20%.

Insider Transactions at Empire

In other news, Senior Officer Douglas Bigler Nathanson sold 3,658 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$40.26, for a total value of C$147,252.79. Also, Senior Officer Pierre St-Laurent sold 4,850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$41.21, for a total value of C$199,868.50. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,033 shares of company stock worth $526,583. 2.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Empire

Empire Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the food retail and related real estate businesses in Canada. It operates through two segments, Food Retailing, and Investments and Other Operations. The company owns, affiliates, and franchises approximately 1,500 retail stores under various retail banners, including Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, and Lawtons Drugs; and approximately 350 retail fuel locations.