Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFD) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $25.36 and traded as high as $26.81. Smithfield Foods shares last traded at $26.44, with a volume of 1,252,101 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Smithfield Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research downgraded Smithfield Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered Smithfield Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Barclays boosted their target price on Smithfield Foods from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Smithfield Foods from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Smithfield Foods currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.88.

Smithfield Foods Trading Down 0.3%

The company’s 50-day moving average is $25.55 and its 200 day moving average is $25.36. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $10.40 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33 and a beta of -0.41.

Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.06. Smithfield Foods had a net margin of 6.48% and a return on equity of 15.54%. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Smithfield Foods, Inc. will post 2.7 EPS for the current year.

Smithfield Foods Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a $0.3125 dividend. This represents a $1.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. Smithfield Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFD. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Smithfield Foods in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Smithfield Foods during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Smithfield Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Group One Trading LLC purchased a new position in Smithfield Foods during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Smithfield Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000.

Smithfield Foods Company Profile

Smithfield Foods, Inc (NASDAQ: SFD) is one of the world’s largest pork processors and hog producers. Founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, the company has grown from a regional ham producer into a fully integrated food company offering a broad range of fresh pork, value-added meats and prepared foods. Its product portfolio includes bacon, ham, sausage, ribs and deli meats marketed under well-known brands such as Smithfield®, Nathan’s Famous® and Eckrich®.

Smithfield operates a network of hog production facilities, processing plants and distribution centers across the United States, Europe and Latin America.