Brokerages Set Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSE:MFI) Target Price at C$31.80

Shares of Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSE:MFI - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$31.80.

MFI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Securities boosted their price target on Maple Leaf Foods from C$34.00 to C$38.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Scotiabank raised Maple Leaf Foods to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. CIBC lifted their target price on Maple Leaf Foods from C$30.00 to C$32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Maple Leaf Foods from C$29.00 to C$30.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, National Bankshares lifted their target price on Maple Leaf Foods from C$26.00 to C$27.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Maple Leaf Foods Price Performance

MFI stock traded up C$0.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching C$27.09. The company had a trading volume of 206,894 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,798. The company has a market capitalization of C$3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 99.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 18.07 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of C$25.01 and a 200-day moving average price of C$23.15. Maple Leaf Foods has a 1-year low of C$19.61 and a 1-year high of C$27.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 130.19, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Maple Leaf Foods Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Maple Leaf Foods's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Maple Leaf Foods's payout ratio is currently 324.76%.

Insider Transactions at Maple Leaf Foods

In other news, Senior Officer Olajumoke Fagbemi sold 3,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$26.33, for a total transaction of C$94,788.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 28 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$737.24. The trade was a 99.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Company insiders own 39.87% of the company's stock.

Maple Leaf Foods Company Profile

Maple Leaf Foods Inc is a consumer-packaged meats company. It produces prepared meats and meals, fresh pork, and poultry and turkey products. The company also has agribusiness operations. These operations supply livestock to the meat products business operations. Its main markets are Canada, the United States, Japan, and China.