Suzano (NYSE:SUZ) Rating Lowered to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Suzano from a "hold" to a "strong sell" in a report issued Tuesday, signaling increased near-term analyst concern.
• Analysts remain mixed: Jefferies started coverage with a "buy" and $13.40 target while Bank of America cut to "neutral" at $11, yet MarketBeat's average rating is a "Moderate Buy" with a $12.20 average price target.
• Suzano beat quarterly estimates—$0.02 EPS vs. a -$0.09 consensus and $2.38B revenue—and currently trades around $9.24 with a P/E of 4.89 and $11.45B market cap, despite only about 2.55% institutional ownership.

Suzano (NYSE:SUZ - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Suzano in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $13.40 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Suzano in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of Suzano from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $11.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Suzano has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $12.20.

Suzano Stock Up 2.4%

NYSE SUZ opened at $9.24 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $10.25 and a 200-day moving average of $9.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.73. Suzano has a 52 week low of $8.44 and a 52 week high of $11.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.27, a quick ratio of 2.59 and a current ratio of 3.18.

Suzano (NYSE:SUZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by $0.11. The business had revenue of $2.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Suzano had a return on equity of 30.84% and a net margin of 26.11%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Suzano will post 1.93 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Suzano

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SUZ. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Suzano by 18,802.7% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 6,994 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 6,957 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Suzano by 61.8% during the fourth quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 16,231 shares of the company's stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 6,197 shares during the period. Compound Planning Inc. raised its position in shares of Suzano by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 19,988 shares of the company's stock worth $187,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Suzano by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 16,427 shares of the company's stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 2,679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Suzano during the 4th quarter valued at about $285,000. 2.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Suzano

Suzano SA is a Brazil-based pulp and paper company recognized as one of the world's leading producers of eucalyptus pulp. The company develops and supplies a wide range of fiber-based products that serve global demand in printing and writing papers, tissue paper, packaging, and specialty paper markets. With an extensive network of industrial units and logistics operations, Suzano manages every stage of production from forest plantations to final delivery, emphasizing integrated operations and quality control.

At the core of Suzano's business is its sustainable forestry model, which covers more than one million hectares of managed eucalyptus plantations across Brazil.

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