Saputo (TSE:SAP) Hits New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as C$25.28 and last traded at C$25.37, with a volume of 505155 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$25.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on SAP. TD Securities lowered their target price on Saputo from C$38.00 to C$37.00 in a research report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Saputo from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from C$35.00 to C$30.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Desjardins set a C$34.00 target price on shares of Saputo in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Saputo from C$39.00 to C$38.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Saputo has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of C$34.50.

Saputo Stock Down 1.3 %

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’s fifty day moving average price is C$26.86 and its 200-day moving average price is C$28.92. The stock has a market cap of C$10.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.32.

Saputo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. Saputo’s payout ratio is currently 120.63%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Senior Officer Leanne Cutts bought 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$26.25 per share, for a total transaction of C$105,000.00. Insiders own 40.45% of the company’s stock.

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.