Syntax Research Inc. Makes New Investment in Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM)

Syntax Research Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 29,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,154,000. Archer-Daniels-Midland makes up approximately 1.8% of Syntax Research Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ADM. Strs Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 250,044 shares of the company's stock worth $18,058,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,333,000. Simplicity Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 19,748 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,426,000 after acquiring an additional 8,079 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC lifted its position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,550 shares of the company's stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the fourth quarter worth about $313,000. Institutional investors own 78.28% of the company's stock.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Stock Down 0.7 %

Archer-Daniels-Midland stock traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $60.52. 3,128,070 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,214,657. The business has a fifty day moving average of $57.62 and a 200 day moving average of $65.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.60. The firm has a market cap of $30.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.46 and a beta of 0.77. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a 12-month low of $50.72 and a 12-month high of $87.30.

Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 12th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by ($0.07). Archer-Daniels-Midland had a return on equity of 15.25% and a net margin of 3.71%. The business had revenue of $22.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.93 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Archer-Daniels-Midland Company will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Archer-Daniels-Midland announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, March 12th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 6.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 8th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Archer-Daniels-Midland's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 7th. Archer-Daniels-Midland's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on ADM. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $66.00 to $60.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. TheStreet cut Archer-Daniels-Midland from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut Archer-Daniels-Midland from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $96.00 to $61.00 in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Archer-Daniels-Midland presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $67.50.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company Profile

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company engages in the procurement, transportation, storage, processing, and merchandising of agricultural commodities, ingredients, flavors, and solutions in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition.