Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSE:MFI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSE:MFI) have been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$31.08.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MFI. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Maple Leaf Foods from C$29.00 to C$30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. National Bankshares lifted their price target on Maple Leaf Foods from C$26.00 to C$27.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. CIBC increased their price objective on shares of Maple Leaf Foods from C$30.00 to C$32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Maple Leaf Foods from C$30.00 to C$32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th.

Maple Leaf Foods Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of TSE MFI opened at C$24.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of C$3.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 91.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 18.07 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 130.19, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.26. Maple Leaf Foods has a 1 year low of C$19.61 and a 1 year high of C$26.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is C$23.18 and its 200 day moving average price is C$22.29.

Maple Leaf Foods Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.24 dividend. This is a positive change from Maple Leaf Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.85%. Maple Leaf Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 324.76%.

About Maple Leaf Foods

Maple Leaf Foods Inc is a consumer-packaged meats company. It produces prepared meats and meals, fresh pork, and poultry and turkey products. The company also has agribusiness operations. These operations supply livestock to the meat products business operations. Its main markets are Canada, the United States, Japan, and China.