Empire Company Limited (TSE:EMP.A) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of Empire Company Limited (TSE:EMP.A - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the seven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$43.14.

EMP.A has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Securities increased their target price on Empire from C$38.00 to C$44.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Empire from C$41.00 to C$42.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. CIBC lifted their target price on Empire from C$40.00 to C$47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. National Bankshares upped their price target on Empire from C$42.00 to C$46.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Desjardins lifted their price objective on shares of Empire from C$42.00 to C$44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th.

Insider Activity at Empire

In related news, Senior Officer Douglas Bigler Nathanson sold 4,525 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$39.66, for a total value of C$179,461.50. In other Empire news, Senior Officer Douglas Bigler Nathanson sold 4,525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$39.66, for a total transaction of C$179,461.50. Also, Senior Officer Pierre St-Laurent sold 4,850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$41.21, for a total transaction of C$199,868.50. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,033 shares of company stock worth $526,583. Insiders own 2.18% of the company's stock.

Empire Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of EMP.A stock traded up C$0.57 on Monday, reaching C$40.55. The company had a trading volume of 451,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 411,938. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 135.51. The stock has a market cap of C$5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 14.71, a PEG ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50-day moving average of C$39.73 and a 200-day moving average of C$36.01. Empire has a 12 month low of C$31.45 and a 12 month high of C$41.48.

Empire Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 15th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. Empire's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.20%.

Empire Company Profile

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.