Saputo (TSE:SAP) Hits New 1-Year High at $31.37

Shares of Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as C$31.37 and last traded at C$31.22, with a volume of 228597 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$30.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SAP has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Securities boosted their target price on shares of Saputo from C$36.00 to C$37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Desjardins boosted their target price on shares of Saputo from C$33.00 to C$35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. CIBC boosted their target price on shares of Saputo from C$35.00 to C$37.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Saputo from C$36.00 to C$39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 4th. Finally, National Bankshares boosted their target price on Saputo from C$33.00 to C$35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of C$35.79.

Saputo Stock Down 2.0 %

The stock has a market cap of C$13.15 billion, a PE ratio of 39.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 58.27, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company’s 50-day moving average price is C$28.25 and its 200 day moving average price is C$27.46.

Saputo (TSE:SAP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 6th. The company reported C$0.37 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of C$0.37. The firm had revenue of C$4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$4.25 billion. Saputo had a net margin of 1.92% and a return on equity of 4.76%. As a group, analysts forecast that Saputo Inc. will post 1.915804 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Saputo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 18th were issued a $0.185 dividend. This represents a $0.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 18th. Saputo’s dividend payout ratio is 94.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Senior Officer Richard Wallace bought 4,950 shares of Saputo stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of C$30.48 per share, with a total value of C$150,899.76. In other Saputo news, Senior Officer Sindy Saragoca purchased 1,361 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$29.39 per share, for a total transaction of C$39,999.79. Also, Senior Officer Richard Wallace purchased 4,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of C$30.48 per share, with a total value of C$150,899.76. 42.11% of the stock is currently owned by 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.