MGP Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ:MGPI) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is mixed on MGP Ingredients, with six brokerages averaging a "Hold" rating. The group includes one sell, two hold, and three buy ratings, with an average 12-month target price of $26.50.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $0.15 EPS versus a $0.04 estimate and revenue of $106.43 million, though sales were down 12.5% year over year. MGP also guided FY 2026 EPS at 1.50-1.80.
• Shares were under pressure, opening at $17.91 and trading near both short- and long-term moving averages below the company’s 52-week high. The stock also saw an insider sale by major shareholder Caroline Lux Kaplan and a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share.

Shares of MGP Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ:MGPI - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $26.50.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded MGP Ingredients from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings cut MGP Ingredients from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on MGP Ingredients from $24.00 to $21.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on MGP Ingredients from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 26th.

MGP Ingredients Stock Down 1.6%

MGPI opened at $17.91 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $17.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $382.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.61 and a beta of 0.46. MGP Ingredients has a fifty-two week low of $15.72 and a fifty-two week high of $32.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 2.74.

MGP Ingredients (NASDAQ:MGPI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.11. MGP Ingredients had a negative net margin of 45.70% and a positive return on equity of 7.48%. The business had revenue of $106.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $105.32 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.36 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. MGP Ingredients has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-1.800 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that MGP Ingredients will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

MGP Ingredients Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. MGP Ingredients's dividend payout ratio is currently -4.31%.

Insider Transactions at MGP Ingredients

In other news, major shareholder Caroline Lux Kaplan sold 30,000 shares of MGP Ingredients stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.82, for a total value of $534,600.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 500,958 shares in the company, valued at $8,927,071.56. This trade represents a 5.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 31.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MGP Ingredients

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of MGP Ingredients by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC increased its position in MGP Ingredients by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC now owns 20,737 shares of the company's stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in MGP Ingredients by 130.3% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 935 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in MGP Ingredients by 1.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 52,446 shares of the company's stock worth $1,572,000 after purchasing an additional 666 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its stake in MGP Ingredients by 4.8% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 14,608 shares of the company's stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 666 shares during the period. 77.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MGP Ingredients Company Profile

MGP Ingredients, Inc NASDAQ: MGPI is a leading producer of distilled spirits and specialty ingredient solutions for the food, beverage and consumer products industries. Headquartered in Atchison, Kansas, the company operates two main facilities—its historic Atchison plant, founded in 1941 as Midwest Grain Products, and a modern distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. MGP Ingredients supplies an array of distillation products under its beverage and ingredient segments, serving brand owners, private-label producers and co-packers worldwide.

The beverage segment features a broad portfolio of premium spirits, including bourbon and rye whiskies, vodka, gin and neutral spirits.

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