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

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Saputo from C$36.00 to C$39.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 4th. TD Securities upped their price target on Saputo from C$36.00 to C$37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. National Bankshares upped their price target on Saputo from C$33.00 to C$35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Desjardins upped their price target on Saputo from C$33.00 to C$35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Saputo from C$34.00 to C$35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of C$35.79.

Saputo Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 58.27. The stock has a market cap of C$13.15 billion, a PE ratio of 39.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a fifty day moving average of C$28.25 and a 200-day moving average of C$27.46.

Saputo (TSE:SAP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 6th. The company reported C$0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of C$0.37. Saputo had a return on equity of 4.76% and a net margin of 1.92%. The company had revenue of C$4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$4.25 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Saputo Inc. will post 1.915804 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Saputo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 18th were issued a dividend of $0.185 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. Saputo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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