Maple Leaf Foods (TSE:MFI) Share Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSE:MFI) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$23.26 and traded as high as C$27.27. Maple Leaf Foods shares last traded at C$27.24, with a volume of 100,403 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Maple Leaf Foods from C$29.00 to C$30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. CIBC boosted their target price on Maple Leaf Foods from C$30.00 to C$32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Scotiabank upgraded Maple Leaf Foods to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. National Bankshares boosted their target price on Maple Leaf Foods from C$26.00 to C$27.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, TD Securities boosted their target price on Maple Leaf Foods from C$34.00 to C$38.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of C$31.80.

Maple Leaf Foods Trading Up 0.9%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 130.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average of C$25.14 and a 200 day moving average of C$23.26. The firm has a market cap of C$3.41 billion, a PE ratio of 100.53, a P/E/G ratio of 18.07 and a beta of 0.47.

Maple Leaf Foods Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.24 dividend. This is an increase from Maple Leaf Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. Maple Leaf Foods’s dividend payout ratio is presently 324.76%.

Insider Activity at Maple Leaf Foods

In other Maple Leaf Foods news, Senior Officer Olajumoke Fagbemi sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$26.33, for a total transaction of C$94,788.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 28 shares of the company’s stock, valued at C$737.24. The trade was a 99.23% decrease in their position. 39.87% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Maple Leaf Foods

Maple Leaf Foods Inc is a consumer-packaged meats company. It produces prepared meats and meals, fresh pork, and poultry and turkey products. The company also has agribusiness operations. These operations supply livestock to the meat products business operations. Its main markets are Canada, the United States, Japan, and China.