Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is C$34.64.

SAP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Saputo from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from C$35.00 to C$30.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. CIBC decreased their price target on shares of Saputo from C$37.00 to C$35.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 12th. National Bankshares reduced their target price on shares of Saputo from C$36.00 to C$35.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Saputo from C$39.00 to C$38.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday.

Insider Activity

In other Saputo news, Senior Officer Martin Gagnon bought 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$29.73 per share, with a total value of C$59,450.00. In other Saputo news, Senior Officer Carl Colizza bought 6,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of C$29.43 per share, with a total value of C$200,124.00. Also, Senior Officer Martin Gagnon acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$29.73 per share, for a total transaction of C$59,450.00. Company insiders own 40.45% of the company's stock.

Saputo Stock Performance

SAP traded up C$0.30 on Friday, reaching C$26.86. 192,746 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 442,663. The company's 50-day moving average price is C$28.91 and its 200 day moving average price is C$29.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.17, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of C$11.40 billion, a PE ratio of 42.43, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.32. Saputo has a fifty-two week low of C$25.28 and a fifty-two week high of C$32.15.

Saputo (TSE:SAP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported C$0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.37 by C$0.02. The company had revenue of C$4.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$4.44 billion. Saputo had a return on equity of 3.72% and a net margin of 1.50%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Saputo will post 1.7735369 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Saputo Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 20th were paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.83%. This is a boost from Saputo's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Saputo's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.