Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFD) Receives $29.88 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFDGet Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the six research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $29.8750.

SFD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Smithfield Foods from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Smithfield Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Smithfield Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Smithfield Foods from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, 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.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on SFD

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Smithfield Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Smithfield Foods by 94.0% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,634,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,343,000 after buying an additional 1,760,713 shares in the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP raised its holdings in Smithfield Foods by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 2,090,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,670,000 after acquiring an additional 253,286 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Smithfield Foods by 653.3% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,664,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,084,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443,605 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Smithfield Foods by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,560,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,849,000 after acquiring an additional 348,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in Smithfield Foods by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,431,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,955,000 after acquiring an additional 109,254 shares in the last quarter.

Smithfield Foods Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ:SFD opened at $26.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.26 billion, a PE ratio of 10.18 and a beta of -0.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $26.51 and its 200 day moving average is $24.20. Smithfield Foods has a 12 month low of $21.08 and a 12 month high of $29.81.

Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFDGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.58 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Smithfield Foods will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Smithfield Foods Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.3125 per share. This represents a $1.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. Smithfield Foods’s dividend payout ratio is 48.83%.

Smithfield Foods Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD)

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