Saputo (TSE:SAP) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as C$24.35 and last traded at C$24.45, with a volume of 136647 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$24.63.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Saputo from C$30.00 to C$27.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Saputo from C$36.00 to C$32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Desjardins set a C$34.00 target price on Saputo in a research report on Monday, November 11th. TD Securities lowered their price target on Saputo from C$38.00 to C$37.00 in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Saputo from C$39.00 to C$38.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of C$33.81.

Saputo Stock Down 3.8 %

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of C$25.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$28.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.17, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company has a market cap of C$9.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.32.

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 given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. Saputo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 120.63%.

Insider Activity at Saputo

In related news, Senior Officer Leanne Cutts purchased 4,000 shares of Saputo stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of C$26.25 per share, with a total value of C$105,000.00. 40.45% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.