Saputo (TSE:SAP) Reaches New 12-Month Low at $25.52

Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as C$25.52 and last traded at C$25.53, with a volume of 17638 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$25.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SAP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Saputo from C$40.00 to C$36.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. CIBC cut their price objective on shares of Saputo from C$36.00 to C$35.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 12th. National Bankshares decreased their target price on Saputo from C$35.00 to C$33.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Saputo from C$31.50 to C$32.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, TD Securities decreased their price objective on Saputo from C$40.00 to C$36.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of C$33.81.

Saputo Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 58.27, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a fifty day moving average of C$26.99 and a 200 day moving average of C$27.21. The firm has a market capitalization of C$10.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.09, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.32.

Saputo (TSE:SAP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported C$0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$0.40 by C($0.02). Saputo had a net margin of 1.92% and a return on equity of 4.76%. The company had revenue of C$4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$4.38 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Saputo Inc. will post 1.9167852 earnings per share for the current year.

Saputo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.185 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 4th. This represents a $0.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Saputo’s payout ratio is 94.87%.

Insider Transactions at Saputo

In other news, Senior Officer Carl Colizza purchased 5,355 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of C$28.13 per share, with a total value of C$150,636.15. In other news, Director Maxime Therrien sold 31,290 shares of Saputo stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$28.24, for a total value of C$883,629.60. Also, Senior Officer Carl Colizza bought 5,355 shares of Saputo stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$28.13 per share, with a total value of C$150,636.15. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 15,190 shares of company stock valued at $425,567. 42.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.