Desjardins Raises Empire (TSE:EMP.A) Price Target to C$44.00

Empire (TSE:EMP.A) had its target price boosted by equities research analysts at Desjardins from C$42.00 to C$44.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Desjardins’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 10.36% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. National Bankshares boosted their target price on shares of Empire from C$41.00 to C$42.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Empire from C$40.00 to C$43.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. TD Securities upped their price objective on shares of Empire from C$38.00 to C$44.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. CIBC upped their price objective on shares of Empire from C$40.00 to C$47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Empire from C$41.00 to C$42.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of C$43.14.

Empire Stock Performance

Shares of TSE:EMP.A traded down C$0.75 during trading on Friday, hitting C$39.87. 146,021 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 404,548. The stock has a market capitalization of C$5.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65, a PEG ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s fifty day moving average is C$36.95 and its 200-day moving average is C$34.45. Empire has a one year low of C$31.45 and a one year high of C$41.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 134.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Empire

In other Empire news, Director William Linton sold 7,058 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$34.39, for a total transaction of C$242,690.74. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 875 shares in the company, valued at C$30,087.05. In other Empire news, Director William Linton sold 7,058 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$34.39, for a total transaction of C$242,690.74. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 875 shares in the company, valued at C$30,087.05. Also, Senior Officer Pierre St-Laurent sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$36.32, for a total transaction of C$108,960.00. Insiders sold 14,294 shares of company stock worth $504,880 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

About Empire

Empire Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the food retail and related real estate businesses in Canada. It operates through two segments, Food Retailing, and Investments and Other Operations. The company owns, affiliates, and franchises approximately 1,500 retail stores under various retail banners, including Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, and Lawtons Drugs; and approximately 350 retail fuel locations.