Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) Shares Bought by Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,341 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,105 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland were worth $1,533,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ADM. Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 6.4% during the third quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,138,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,011,000 after buying an additional 68,133 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,339,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,082,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,163,000 after purchasing an additional 489,217 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 6.4% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,086,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $483,084,000 after purchasing an additional 489,554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marathon Asset Management Ltd increased its stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 4.5% in the third quarter. Marathon Asset Management Ltd now owns 303,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,110,000 after purchasing an additional 13,177 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on ADM. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $55.00 to $51.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $56.00 to $50.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $57.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.89.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ADM opened at $52.14 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $51.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.37. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a 52-week low of $48.40 and a 52-week high of $66.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $24.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.90 and a beta of 0.72.

Archer-Daniels-Midland announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback 100,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. Archer-Daniels-Midland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.14%.

About Archer-Daniels-Midland

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.