Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFD) Receives $28.31 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFD) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.3125.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on SFD shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Smithfield Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley set a $29.00 price objective on Smithfield Foods and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Smithfield Foods in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Smithfield Foods Stock Down 0.4%

NASDAQ:SFD opened at $24.47 on Wednesday. Smithfield Foods has a 52 week low of $18.43 and a 52 week high of $26.07. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.14. The company has a market cap of $9.62 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.02.

Smithfield Foods Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 13th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. Smithfield Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.05%.

Institutional Trading of Smithfield Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Smithfield Foods by 54.6% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 7,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 2,667 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR purchased a new position in shares of Smithfield Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $423,000. American Capital Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Smithfield Foods by 38.0% in the 4th quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 6,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 1,900 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Smithfield Foods in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of Smithfield Foods by 47.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,023,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,858,000 after buying an additional 329,187 shares in the last quarter.

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.