Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV cut its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) by 48.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 306,822 shares of the company’s stock after selling 283,992 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland were worth $15,500,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,045,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,914,408,000 after acquiring an additional 1,018,256 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 41.5% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 19,430,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,160,755,000 after acquiring an additional 5,702,451 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,086,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $483,084,000 after purchasing an additional 489,554 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 33.9% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,979,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,757,000 after purchasing an additional 1,007,494 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,607,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $215,533,000 after purchasing an additional 63,883 shares in the last quarter. 78.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Trading Down 3.1 %

Archer-Daniels-Midland stock opened at $50.57 on Wednesday. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a 52-week low of $48.40 and a 52-week high of $66.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.45 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $51.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.28.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. Archer-Daniels-Midland’s payout ratio is currently 57.14%.

Archer-Daniels-Midland announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase 100,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ADM. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $57.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $56.00 to $50.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $55.00 to $51.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Archer-Daniels-Midland has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.89.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company Profile

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company engages in the procurement, transportation, storage, processing, and merchandising of agricultural commodities, ingredients, flavors, and solutions in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition.