Saputo (TSE:SAP) Reaches New 12-Month Low on Analyst Downgrade

Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday after Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on the stock from C$36.00 to C$32.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Saputo traded as low as C$24.63 and last traded at C$25.03, with a volume of 696364 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$25.20.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Saputo from C$39.00 to C$38.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Saputo from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price target for the company from C$35.00 to C$30.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. TD Securities dropped their price objective on shares of Saputo from C$38.00 to C$37.00 in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Desjardins set a C$34.00 target price on Saputo in a report on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Saputo presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of C$34.19.

Insider Activity

In related news, Senior Officer Leanne Cutts purchased 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of C$26.25 per share, for a total transaction of C$105,000.00. Corporate insiders own 40.45% of the company's stock.

Saputo Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.17, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company has a market capitalization of C$10.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.32. The firm's fifty day moving average is C$26.57 and its 200 day moving average is C$28.86.

Saputo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.03%. Saputo's dividend payout ratio is 120.63%.

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.