BMO Capital Markets Lowers Saputo (TSE:SAP) to Market Perform

Saputo (TSE:SAP - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report issued on Tuesday, BayStreet.CA reports. They currently have a C$30.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of C$35.00. BMO Capital Markets' price objective points to a potential upside of 7.68% from the company's current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. CIBC dropped their target price on Saputo from C$37.00 to C$35.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 12th. National Bankshares dropped their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of C$34.79.

Saputo Stock Down 3.0 %

SAP traded down C$0.86 during trading on Tuesday, hitting C$27.86. 504,030 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 446,817. Saputo has a fifty-two week low of C$25.28 and a fifty-two week high of C$32.15. The stock has a market cap of C$11.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.17, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.32. The business's 50 day moving average is C$29.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$28.93. 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 (TSE:SAP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported C$0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of C$0.37 by C$0.02. Saputo had a net margin of 1.50% and a return on equity of 3.72%. The company had revenue of C$4.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$4.44 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Saputo will post 1.7806854 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

About Saputo

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.