Intact Financial Co. (TSE:IFC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Intact Financial Co. (TSE:IFC) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$236.40.

IFC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Intact Financial from C$252.00 to C$256.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Desjardins raised their target price on shares of Intact Financial from C$230.00 to C$235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Intact Financial from C$221.00 to C$247.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. TD Securities raised their target price on shares of Intact Financial from C$225.00 to C$235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, CIBC lifted their price objective on shares of Intact Financial from C$225.00 to C$250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intact Financial

In other news, Senior Officer Benoit Morissette sold 7,000 shares of Intact Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$226.23, for a total value of C$1,583,589.00. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Intact Financial Price Performance

Intact Financial stock opened at C$220.04 on Friday. Intact Financial has a 52-week low of C$188.22 and a 52-week high of C$237.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average of C$219.47 and a 200-day moving average of C$208.24. The firm has a market capitalization of C$39.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.43, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 34.90.

Intact Financial (TSE:IFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported C$3.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of C$3.44 by C$0.03. Intact Financial had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 8.16%. The firm had revenue of C$6.53 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts predict that Intact Financial will post 14.4525213 EPS for the current year.

Intact Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a $1.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Intact Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. Intact Financial’s payout ratio is 69.14%.

About Intact Financial

Intact Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty insurance products to individuals and businesses in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers insurance, such as personal auto which provides coverage from accidents, third party liability, and physical damage; personal property which provides protection for homes and contents from risks, including fire, theft, vandalism, water damages, other damages, and personal liability; and commercial line and specialty line insurance which provides commercial auto, property, and liability coverages.