Maple Leaf Foods (TSE:MFI) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSE:MFI)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$22.18 and traded as high as C$25.01. Maple Leaf Foods shares last traded at C$24.99, with a volume of 93,921 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MFI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. National Bankshares raised their target price on shares of 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. CIBC raised their target price on shares of 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. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Maple Leaf Foods from C$30.00 to C$32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Maple Leaf Foods presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of C$31.08.

Maple Leaf Foods Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of C$3.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 92.22, a PEG ratio of 18.07 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 130.19, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is C$22.76 and its 200-day moving average price is C$22.18.

Maple Leaf Foods Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.84%. This is a boost from Maple Leaf Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Maple Leaf Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 324.76%.

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.