Intact Financial (TSE:IFC) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Intact Financial Co. (TSE:IFC - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as C$266.98 and last traded at C$266.08, with a volume of 6544 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$264.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. CIBC upped their price target on Intact Financial from C$250.00 to C$270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. National Bankshares upped their price target on Intact Financial from C$260.00 to C$265.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Desjardins upped their price target on Intact Financial from C$250.00 to C$255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Intact Financial from C$264.00 to C$262.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Raymond James lowered their target price on Intact Financial from C$269.00 to C$264.00 in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of C$263.90.

Intact Financial Trading Up 0.8 %

The stock has a market cap of C$47.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.44, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of C$254.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$237.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 31.26, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.36.

Intact Financial (TSE:IFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported C$4.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of C$3.61 by C$1.25. Intact Financial had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 7.14%. The company had revenue of C$7.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$7.64 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Intact Financial Co. will post 15.774665 EPS for the current year.

Intact Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a dividend of $1.21 per share. This represents a $4.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. Intact Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 42.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Senior Officer Darren Christopher Godfrey sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$255.00, for a total value of C$510,000.00. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

About Intact Financial

Intact Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty insurance products to individuals and businesses in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers insurance, such as personal auto which provides coverage from accidents, third party liability, and physical damage; personal property which provides protection for homes and contents from risks, including fire, theft, vandalism, water damages, other damages, and personal liability; and commercial line and specialty line insurance which provides commercial auto, property, and liability coverages.