Brokerages Set Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) Price Target at C$35.50

Shares of Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Buy" from the seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$35.50.

SAP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Securities lifted their target price on Saputo from C$36.00 to C$37.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Desjardins lifted their price target on Saputo from C$33.00 to C$35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. CIBC cut their price target on Saputo from C$37.00 to C$35.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. National Bankshares cut their price target on Saputo from C$36.00 to C$35.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Saputo from C$34.00 to C$35.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Senior Officer Carl Colizza purchased 6,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of C$29.43 per share, for a total transaction of C$200,124.00. In other Saputo news, Senior Officer Martin Gagnon acquired 2,000 shares of Saputo stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of C$29.73 per share, for a total transaction of C$59,450.00. Also, Senior Officer Carl Colizza acquired 6,800 shares of Saputo stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of C$29.43 per share, with a total value of C$200,124.00. 42.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Saputo Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.17. Saputo has a 12-month low of C$25.28 and a 12-month high of C$32.15. The company has a market capitalization of C$12.02 billion, a PE ratio of 44.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$29.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$28.86.

Saputo (TSE:SAP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported C$0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of C$0.37 by C$0.02. Saputo had a return on equity of 3.72% and a net margin of 1.50%. The firm had revenue of C$4.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of C$4.44 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Saputo will post 1.7806854 earnings per share for the current year.

Saputo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 20th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of ∞. This is an increase from Saputo's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. 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.