Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Saputo has an average analyst recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from seven firms (six buys, one hold) with a mean 12‑month price target of C$46.25, and several brokers recently raised targets (TD to C$52).
• Insider Patrick Turcotte sold 2,071 shares on Feb. 18; insiders have sold 2,659 shares in the last three months but still own a significant 40.45% of the company.
• Recent results and metrics: Q earnings per share C$0.57 on revenue of C$4.89B, market cap C$18.03B and P/E 28.51; the company pays a quarterly dividend of C$0.20 (annualized C$0.80) for a 1.8% yield and a 50% payout ratio.

Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$46.25.

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. National Bank Financial boosted their price target on shares of Saputo from C$45.00 to C$46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Saputo from C$41.00 to C$42.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Desjardins boosted their price target on shares of Saputo from C$45.00 to C$47.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. TD Securities boosted their price target on shares of Saputo from C$51.00 to C$52.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Saputo from C$47.00 to C$49.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Saputo news, insider Patrick Turcotte sold 2,071 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.18, for a total transaction of C$87,354.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,336 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$351,612.48. The trade was a 19.90% decrease in their position. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,659 shares of company stock worth $112,169. Insiders own 40.45% of the company's stock.

Saputo Stock Performance

TSE:SAP opened at C$44.48 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of C$42.78 and a 200-day moving average of C$39.51. The firm has a market capitalization of C$18.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 59.15. Saputo has a twelve month low of C$24.05 and a twelve month high of C$44.60.

Saputo (TSE:SAP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported C$0.57 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$4.89 billion during the quarter. Saputo had a net margin of 3.39% and a return on equity of 9.50%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Saputo will post 1.7735369 EPS for the current year.

Saputo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. Saputo's payout ratio is 50.00%.

About Saputo

Saputo is a global dairy processor domiciled in Canada (28% of fiscal 2022 sales) with operations in the United States (43%), the U.K. (6%), and other international markets (23%). It sells cheese, cream, fluid milk, and other dairy products. In the retail segment (50% of revenue), its mix of brands include Saputo, Armstrong, Cheer, Cathedral City, and Frylight. Saputo also competes in food service (30% of revenue) and industrials (20% of revenue), which houses its ingredients business.

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