StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM)

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM – Get Rating) in a report released on Thursday. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $114.00 to $116.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 3rd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research report on Tuesday, December 13th. They issued a buy rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $104.71.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Price Performance

Shares of ADM stock opened at $74.26 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $40.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Archer-Daniels-Midland has a 1-year low of $70.02 and a 1-year high of $98.88. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $82.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.60.

Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 26th. The company reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $26.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.37 billion. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a net margin of 4.26% and a return on equity of 18.32%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Archer-Daniels-Midland will post 6.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, February 9th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 8th. This is an increase from Archer-Daniels-Midland’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. Archer-Daniels-Midland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.35%.

Institutional Trading of Archer-Daniels-Midland

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ADM. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 71.6% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 681.8% in the 3rd quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. now owns 344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 135.6% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 318 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. 78.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Archer-Daniels-Midland

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Archer-Daniels-Midland Co engages in the production of oilseeds, corn, wheat, cocoa, and other agricultural commodities. It operates through the following segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, Nutrition, and Other. The Ag Services and Oilseeds segment includes activities related to the origination, merchandising, transportation, and storage of agricultural raw materials, and the crushing and further processing of oilseeds such as soybeans and soft seeds cottonseed, sunflower seed, canola, rapeseed, and flaxseed into vegetable oils and protein meals.