Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) Stake Boosted by Advisory Alpha LLC

Advisory Alpha LLC raised its position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,952 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 216 shares during the quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland were worth $402,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the third quarter worth $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 724.6% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the third quarter valued at $48,000. 78.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Stock Performance

ADM opened at $50.55 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.40. The company has a market cap of $24.19 billion, a PE ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $51.70 and a 200-day moving average of $56.64. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a 52-week low of $48.40 and a 52-week high of $66.08.

Archer-Daniels-Midland announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback 100,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.96%. Archer-Daniels-Midland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ADM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $56.00 to $50.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $55.00 to $51.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Bank of America lowered shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $63.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $57.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Archer-Daniels-Midland currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.89.

Archer-Daniels-Midland 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.