Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Maple Leaf Foods (TSE:MFI) Stock Price

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus raised its target on Maple Leaf Foods from C$35.00 to C$36.00 and kept a "buy" rating, implying about a 21.50% upside from the company's current price.
• Analysts are broadly positive—one "Strong Buy" and nine "Buy" ratings give a consensus "Buy" with an average target of C$36.09, and other firms (Scotiabank, National Bank, Ventum) recently raised ratings or targets.
• Shares traded at C$29.63 on Friday; Maple Leaf Foods has a market cap of C$3.69B, a P/E of 6.97, reported quarterly EPS of C$0.34, and a net margin of 11.76%.

Maple Leaf Foods (TSE:MFI - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from C$35.00 to C$36.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus' target price would suggest a potential upside of 21.50% from the company's current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Scotiabank raised shares of Maple Leaf Foods from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. National Bank Financial raised their price target on Maple Leaf Foods from C$34.00 to C$35.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Ventum Financial set a C$37.00 price objective on Maple Leaf Foods and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and nine have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Maple Leaf Foods has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of C$36.09.

Maple Leaf Foods Stock Performance

MFI traded down C$1.33 on Friday, hitting C$29.63. The company had a trading volume of 238,476 shares, compared to its average volume of 313,395. The stock has a market cap of C$3.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 18.07 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 93.30, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company's fifty day moving average price is C$29.26 and its 200 day moving average price is C$27.05. Maple Leaf Foods has a 1-year low of C$23.35 and a 1-year high of C$36.35.

Maple Leaf Foods (TSE:MFI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported C$0.34 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$962.85 million for the quarter. Maple Leaf Foods had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 35.43%. Equities analysts predict that Maple Leaf Foods will post 1.4334187 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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. The key brands are Maple Leaf and Schneiders, Maple Leaf Prime Naturally, Shopsy, Mitchell's Gourmet Food, Larse, Parm, and Hygrade.

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