Ag Growth International Inc. (TSE:AFN) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts’ consensus: Hold — Eight analysts rate Ag Growth International a consensus "Hold" (five Hold, three Buy) with an average 1‑year target of C$27.50, and several firms recently cut targets or trimmed ratings.
• Notable insider buying — Director Steven Sommerfeld bought 8,000 shares at C$17.67 and insider Paul Brisebois bought 32,000 shares at C$17.09, leaving insiders with about 1.06% ownership.
• Weak recent results and high leverage — The company reported C($2.62) EPS for the quarter, has a negative ROE and net margin, a debt‑to‑equity ratio of 408.06, and shares trade around C$17.74 (well below the 52‑week high of C$44.84).

Ag Growth International Inc. (TSE:AFN - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$27.50.

Several analysts have weighed in on AFN shares. ATB Cormark Capital Markets cut shares of Ag Growth International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and set a C$36.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on Ag Growth International from C$30.00 to C$25.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. TD Securities decreased their price target on Ag Growth International from C$41.00 to C$22.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Desjardins dropped their price target on Ag Growth International from C$47.00 to C$40.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Cormark set a C$35.00 price objective on Ag Growth International and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Steven Robert Sommerfeld purchased 8,000 shares of Ag Growth International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$17.67 per share, for a total transaction of C$141,360.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$141,360. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Also, insider Paul Brisebois acquired 32,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$17.09 per share, for a total transaction of C$546,880.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 48,086 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$821,789.74. The trade was a 198.93% increase in their ownership of the stock. Company insiders own 1.06% of the company's stock.

Ag Growth International Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of TSE:AFN opened at C$17.74 on Friday. Ag Growth International has a 52 week low of C$13.60 and a 52 week high of C$44.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 408.06, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company's fifty day moving average is C$25.10 and its 200-day moving average is C$27.48. The company has a market capitalization of C$334.58 million, a PE ratio of -12.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.11.

Ag Growth International (TSE:AFN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The company reported C($2.62) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Ag Growth International had a negative return on equity of 9.21% and a negative net margin of 1.86%.The firm had revenue of C$395.77 million for the quarter. Equities research analysts predict that Ag Growth International will post 6.5761006 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Ag Growth International

Ag Growth International Inc manufactures portable and stationary grain handling, storage, and conditioning equipment, including augers, belt conveyors, grain storage bins, grain handling accessories, grain aeration equipment, and grain drying systems. The company operates mainly in Portable handling, permanent handling, storage and conditioning, livestock, and manufacturing sectors. Some of its brands are batco, wheatheart, westfield, storm, rem, hi roller, union iron, hsi, tramco, ptm, vis, nuvision, twister, grain guard, airlanco, westeel, frame, and entringer.

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