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

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSE:MFI - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$31.80.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. TD Securities raised their price target on Maple Leaf Foods from C$34.00 to C$38.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Stifel Canada raised Maple Leaf Foods to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank raised Maple Leaf Foods to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st.

Maple Leaf Foods Stock Performance

Shares of TSE MFI traded up C$0.10 during midday trading on Monday, hitting C$28.75. 92,945 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 213,065. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 130.19. Maple Leaf Foods has a 12 month low of C$19.61 and a 12 month high of C$28.90. The company's 50 day moving average price is C$27.22 and its 200 day moving average price is C$24.41. The firm has a market capitalization of C$3.60 billion, a PE ratio of 106.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 18.07 and a beta of 0.47.

Maple Leaf Foods Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Maple Leaf Foods's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 324.76%.

Insider Activity at Maple Leaf Foods

In other news, Senior Officer Olajumoke Fagbemi sold 3,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 28 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$737.24. This represents a 99.23% decrease in their position. 39.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Maple Leaf Foods

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.