Saputo (SAP) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Saputo (TSE:SAP) is scheduled to be posting its quarterly earnings results after the market closes on Thursday, November 7th. Analysts expect Saputo to post earnings of C$0.39 per share for the quarter.

Saputo (TSE:SAP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported C$0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.37 by C$0.02. Saputo had a return on equity of 3.72% and a net margin of 1.50%. The company had revenue of C$4.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of C$4.44 billion.

Saputo Price Performance

Shares of Saputo stock opened at C$26.52 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of C$11.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.10, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of C$28.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$29.03. Saputo has a 12 month low of C$25.28 and a 12 month high of C$32.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.17, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Saputo Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 20th were paid a $0.19 dividend. This is an increase from Saputo’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. Saputo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 120.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saputo

In other Saputo news, Senior Officer Martin Gagnon acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of C$29.73 per share, for a total transaction of C$59,450.00. In related news, Senior Officer Carl Colizza purchased 6,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$29.43 per share, for a total transaction of C$200,124.00. Also, Senior Officer Martin Gagnon purchased 2,000 shares of Saputo stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of C$29.73 per share, for a total transaction of C$59,450.00. 40.45% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on SAP. National Bankshares lowered their target price on shares of Saputo from C$36.00 to C$35.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Saputo from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from C$35.00 to C$30.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. CIBC cut their price objective on shares of Saputo from C$37.00 to C$35.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Saputo from C$39.00 to C$38.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Saputo currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$34.64.

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.