Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSE:MFI) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSE:MFI) has received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the six brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$30.75.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MFI shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Maple Leaf Foods from C$32.00 to C$29.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on Maple Leaf Foods from C$35.00 to C$30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 23rd. CIBC decreased their target price on Maple Leaf Foods from C$36.00 to C$32.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Maple Leaf Foods from C$37.50 to C$33.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Maple Leaf Foods from C$31.00 to C$29.00 in a research note on Friday, February 23rd.

Maple Leaf Foods Price Performance

Shares of Maple Leaf Foods stock opened at C$23.09 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of C$23.72 and a 200 day moving average of C$24.88. Maple Leaf Foods has a 52 week low of C$21.52 and a 52 week high of C$31.63. The company has a market cap of C$2.83 billion, a PE ratio of -22.50, a P/E/G ratio of 18.07 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.69.

Maple Leaf Foods (TSE:MFI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The company reported C$0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Maple Leaf Foods had a negative net margin of 2.57% and a negative return on equity of 7.86%. The business had revenue of C$1.19 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Maple Leaf Foods will post 0.9354965 earnings per share for the current year.

Maple Leaf Foods Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.81%. This is a positive change from Maple Leaf Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Maple Leaf Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -85.44%.

About Maple Leaf Foods

Maple Leaf Foods Inc produces food products in the United States, Canada, Japan, China, and internationally. The company operates through Meat Protein Group and Plant Protein Group segments. It produces various food products, including prepared meats, ready-to-cook and ready-to-serve meals, fresh pork and poultry, and plant protein products; bacon, hams, wieners, and meat snacks; a variety of delicatessen products; and processed chicken products, such as fully cooked chicken breasts and wings, processed turkey products, specialty sausages, cooked meats, sliced meats, cooked sausage products, lunch kits, and canned meats.