Maple Leaf Foods (TSE:MFI) Stock Price Target Lowered at Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• RBC lowered its Maple Leaf Foods price target from C$34 to C$33, while maintaining an “outperform” rating; the new target implies 22.09% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: MarketBeat reports an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of C$34.92, with 11 analysts rating the stock Buy or Strong Buy and one rating it Hold.
• Maple Leaf reported quarterly EPS of C$0.36 and revenue of C$1.03 billion. Its shares fell 0.9% to C$27.03 in Thursday’s trading.

Maple Leaf Foods (TSE:MFI - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from C$34.00 to C$33.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, BayStreet reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price target points to a potential upside of 22.09% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce set a C$36.00 price target on Maple Leaf Foods and gave the stock an "outperformer" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Ventum Capital cut their price objective on shares of Maple Leaf Foods from C$37.00 to C$35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. TD reduced their price objective on shares of Maple Leaf Foods from C$36.00 to C$35.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Ventum Financial dropped their target price on shares of Maple Leaf Foods from C$39.00 to C$37.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a C$36.00 price target on shares of Maple Leaf Foods and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Maple Leaf Foods presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of C$34.92.

Maple Leaf Foods Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of MFI traded down C$0.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching C$27.03. The company had a trading volume of 250,984 shares, compared to its average volume of 275,544. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 97.47, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a market capitalization of C$3.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 18.07 and a beta of 0.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of C$26.02 and a 200 day moving average price of C$28.07. Maple Leaf Foods has a 52 week low of C$23.35 and a 52 week high of C$31.87.

Maple Leaf Foods (TSE:MFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported C$0.36 earnings per share for the quarter. Maple Leaf Foods had a return on equity of 36.83% and a net margin of 13.08%. The company had revenue of C$1.03 billion during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Maple Leaf Foods will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Andrew Gordon Macdonald purchased 10,000 shares of Maple Leaf Foods stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of C$26.78 per share, for a total transaction of C$267,800.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 72,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$1,933,516. The trade was a 16.08% increase in their position. 39.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Maple Leaf Foods Company Profile

Maple Leaf Foods TSX: MFI is a purpose-driven, protein-focused, brand-led consumer packaged goods company headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. It proudly produces responsibly made, delicious food under powerhouse brands that include Maple Leaf, Maple Leaf Prime, Maple Leaf Natural Selections, Maple Leaf Mighty Protein, Musafir, Schneiders, Mina Halal, Greenfield Natural Meat Co, LightLife, Field Roast, and Yves Veggie Cuisine. Committed to Raising the Good in Food and bringing customers protein with purpose, Maple Leaf Foods delivers shared value for all its stakeholders by leading the way in safety and sustainability, building loved brands, operating with excellence, developing extraordinary talent, and broadening its impact through innovation and geographic reach.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.