Merit Financial Group LLC Buys New Holdings in Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN)

Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 17,529 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,119,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Tyson Foods by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Tyson Foods by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,563 shares of the company's stock valued at $205,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The increased its holdings in Tyson Foods by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 11,002 shares of the company's stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Ossiam increased its holdings in Tyson Foods by 41.6% in the 4th quarter. Ossiam now owns 626 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Tyson Foods by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,113 shares of the company's stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.00% of the company's stock.

Tyson Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TSN traded down $0.03 during trading on Monday, hitting $55.28. 332,161 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,380,480. The company has a market cap of $19.69 billion, a PE ratio of 18.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.60. Tyson Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $53.61 and a 52-week high of $66.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 2.11 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $58.18 and a 200 day moving average of $58.96.

Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $13.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.15 billion. Tyson Foods had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 6.87%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.62 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Tyson Foods, Inc. will post 3.8 EPS for the current year.

Tyson Foods Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Tyson Foods's payout ratio is 77.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Tyson Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Tyson Foods from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Stephens dropped their target price on shares of Tyson Foods from $63.00 to $61.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Tyson Foods from $63.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $62.63.

About Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a food company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Beef, Pork, Chicken, and Prepared Foods. The company processes live fed cattle and hogs; fabricates dressed beef and pork carcasses into primal and sub-primal meat cuts, as well as case ready beef and pork, and fully cooked meats; raises and processes chickens into fresh, frozen, and value-added chicken products, including breaded chicken strips, nuggets, patties, and other ready-to-fix or fully cooked chicken parts; and supplies poultry breeding stock.