Saputo (TSE:SAP) Hits New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as C$24.47 and last traded at C$24.50, with a volume of 105374 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$24.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SAP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Saputo from C$38.00 to C$37.00 in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Saputo from C$39.00 to C$38.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Saputo from C$36.00 to C$32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered Saputo from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from C$35.00 to C$30.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Desjardins set a C$34.00 target price on Saputo in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$34.19.

Saputo Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of C$10.47 billion, a PE ratio of 39.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average is C$26.34 and its 200-day moving average is C$28.78.

Saputo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. Saputo’s payout ratio is currently 120.63%.

Insider Activity

In other Saputo news, Senior Officer Leanne Cutts bought 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of C$26.25 per share, for a total transaction of C$105,000.00. Corporate insiders own 40.45% of the company’s stock.

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.