Empire Company Limited (TSE:EMP.A – Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$53.67.
EMP.A has been the topic of several analyst reports. Desjardins reduced their price target on Empire from C$57.00 to C$53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their target price on shares of Empire from C$54.00 to C$58.00 and gave the stock an “outperformer” rating in a report on Friday, June 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Empire from C$55.00 to C$58.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, June 19th. TD cut their target price on shares of Empire from C$53.00 to C$52.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Empire from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a C$58.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Empire
Key Stories Impacting Empire
- Positive Sentiment: Empire reported first-quarter earnings of C$1.04 per share and revenue of approximately C$8.47 billion. Sales and profit increased as the company added locations and emphasized discount-focused offerings, supporting the stock’s long-term growth case. Empire reports higher sales and profit as it adds locations, focuses on discount
- Positive Sentiment: Desjardins maintained a “buy” rating, although it reduced its price target from C$57 to C$53. National Bank Financial’s revised C$54 target and TD’s C$52 target also remain above the current share price, indicating analysts continue to see potential appreciation.
- Neutral Sentiment: Empire’s quarterly revenue was below the FactSet consensus of C$8.54 billion, coming in at C$8.47 billion. The modest miss may limit the positive impact of the earnings beat and stronger sales narrative. Empire first-quarter revenue report
- Negative Sentiment: TD cut its target to C$52 from C$53 and downgraded its stance to “hold.” National Bank Financial lowered its target to C$54 from C$56 and assigned a “sector perform” rating, while Scotia reduced its target to C$48 from C$50.
- Negative Sentiment: The broad target-price reductions—particularly Scotia’s limited implied upside—signal that analysts see fewer near-term catalysts following the results. This cautious reassessment is likely the main reason EMP.A has decreased despite reporting higher quarterly earnings and sales.
Empire Trading Down 1.6%
Shares of TSE:EMP.A opened at C$45.61 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is C$49.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$48.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 135.51, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.29. Empire has a one year low of C$43.81 and a one year high of C$52.64. The stock has a market capitalization of C$10.20 billion, a PE ratio of 53.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.20 and a beta of -0.29.
Empire (TSE:EMP.A – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 10th. The company reported C$1.04 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$8.47 billion during the quarter. Empire had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 12.94%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Empire will post 2.9581227 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Empire Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st were given a $0.2425 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. This is a positive change from Empire’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Empire’s payout ratio is 102.33%.
Empire Company Profile
Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A) is a Canadian company headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire’s key businesses are food retailing, through wholly-owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc, and related real estate. With approximately $32 billion in annual sales and $17 billion in assets, Empire and its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately 130,000 people. Additional financial information relating to Empire, including the Company’s Annual Information Form, can be found on the Company’s website at www.empireco.ca or on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
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