Saputo (TSE:SAP) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as C$24.35 and last traded at C$24.45, with a volume of 136647 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$24.63.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on SAP shares. TD Securities lowered their target price on shares of Saputo from C$38.00 to C$37.00 in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Saputo from C$39.00 to C$38.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Desjardins set a C$34.00 price target on Saputo in a report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Saputo from C$30.00 to C$27.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Saputo from C$36.00 to C$32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of C$33.81.

Saputo Price Performance

The company has a market cap of C$9.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.00, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of C$25.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$28.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.17, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Saputo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. Saputo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 120.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saputo

In related news, Senior Officer Leanne Cutts purchased 4,000 shares of Saputo stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of C$26.25 per share, for a total transaction of C$105,000.00. 40.45% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Saputo

Saputo Inc produces, markets, and distributes dairy products in Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The company offers cheeses, including mozzarella and cheddar; specialty cheeses, such as ricotta, provolone, blue, parmesan, goat cheese, feta, romano, and havarti; fine cheeses comprising brie and camembert; and other cheeses that include brick, colby, farmer, munster, monterey jack, fresh curd, and processed cheeses.