Quad Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quad Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

QUAD has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Quad Graphics in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Zacks Research cut shares of Quad Graphics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on shares of Quad Graphics from $8.20 to $9.80 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quad Graphics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $9.90.

Quad Graphics Stock Performance

Shares of Quad Graphics stock opened at $6.60 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $344.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $6.54 and a 200 day moving average of $6.20. Quad Graphics has a 12 month low of $4.50 and a 12 month high of $7.54.

Quad Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. Quad Graphics had a net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 49.71%. The company had revenue of $630.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $632.90 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Quad Graphics will post 1.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Quad Graphics Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This is a boost from Quad Graphics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. Quad Graphics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.07%.

Institutional Trading of Quad Graphics

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QUAD. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Quad Graphics by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 177,559 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 31,275 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Quad Graphics by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 29,936 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $188,000 after buying an additional 2,861 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Quad Graphics by 111.7% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 64,704 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $406,000 after buying an additional 34,142 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Quad Graphics during the 4th quarter worth about $82,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Quad Graphics during the 4th quarter worth about $229,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.52% of the company’s stock.

Quad Graphics Company Profile

Quad Graphics, Inc (NYSE: QUAD) is a global provider of print and related marketing services, serving a diverse range of clients in the publishing, retail, e-commerce and consumer packaged goods sectors. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span traditional print production, supply chain management and digital marketing support. Quad Graphics leverages a network of production facilities and distribution centers to deliver high-quality printed materials and integrated marketing programs that help clients reach their target audiences across multiple channels.

The company’s core offerings include magazine and catalog printing, direct mail, retail inserts, shopper marketing materials, custom packaging and point-of-sale displays.