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

Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as C$22.94 and last traded at C$22.96, with a volume of 250865 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$23.31.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on SAP shares. TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Saputo from C$38.00 to C$37.00 in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Desjardins set a C$34.00 price target on Saputo in a research note on Monday, November 11th. National Bankshares cut their price target on shares of Saputo from C$31.00 to C$28.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Saputo from C$39.00 to C$38.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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 note on Monday, December 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$32.94.

Saputo Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of C$9.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.32. 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is C$25.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$28.34.

Saputo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. Saputo’s payout ratio is presently 120.63%.

Insider Activity at Saputo

In other news, Senior Officer Leanne Cutts acquired 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. 40.45% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.