Ag Growth International (TSE:AFN) Stock Jumps 31.7% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Ag Growth International shares surged 31.7% to C$8.15 on trading volume 341% above average, but remain well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analysts have broadly reduced their price targets, with a consensus “Hold” rating and average target of C$23.56; three analysts rate the stock Buy while six recommend Hold.
• The company reported a quarterly loss of C$2.06 per share, negative profitability metrics, and high leverage, although director Gary Keith Anderson bought nearly C$300,000 worth of shares.

Ag Growth International Inc. (TSE:AFN - Get Free Report) shot up 31.7% on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as C$8.90 and last traded at C$8.15. 623,678 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 341% from the average session volume of 141,531 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$6.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on AFN. Desjardins dropped their price objective on shares of Ag Growth International from C$25.00 to C$20.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. TD Securities cut shares of Ag Growth International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Ag Growth International from C$30.00 to C$20.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. National Bank Financial cut their target price on Ag Growth International from C$20.00 to C$19.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, ATB Cormark Capital Markets reduced their price target on Ag Growth International from C$25.00 to C$18.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of C$23.56.

Ag Growth International Stock Up 32.5%

The company has a market cap of C$154.82 million, a P/E ratio of -1.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 541.43, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.30. The business's fifty day moving average is C$14.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$18.50.

Ag Growth International (TSE:AFN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported C($2.06) EPS for the quarter. Ag Growth International had a negative return on equity of 48.31% and a negative net margin of 8.43%.The company had revenue of C$323.18 million for the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Ag Growth International Inc. will post 6.5761006 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gary Keith Anderson bought 21,865 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$13.72 per share, for a total transaction of C$299,987.80. Following the acquisition, the director owned 106,990 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$1,467,902.80. This represents a 25.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. 1.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Ag Growth International

Ag Growth International Inc is a leading manufacturer and supplier of equipment and solutions for the agriculture, fertilizer, feed, food and commercial sectors. With manufacturing facilities and operations on six continents, AGI provides complete systems and services that support producers and processors throughout the agricultural value chain.

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