StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM)

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM – Get Rating) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm issued a buy rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also commented on ADM. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $114.00 to $116.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 3rd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research report on Tuesday, December 13th. They issued a buy rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $104.71.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of ADM opened at $74.26 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $82.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.60. Archer-Daniels-Midland has a twelve month low of $70.02 and a twelve month high of $98.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.63, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.79.

Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 26th. The company reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $26.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.37 billion. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a net margin of 4.26% and a return on equity of 18.32%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Archer-Daniels-Midland will post 6.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is an increase from Archer-Daniels-Midland’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 8th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Archer-Daniels-Midland’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Archer-Daniels-Midland

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ADM. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 71.6% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Selective Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 681.8% during the third quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. now owns 344 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC purchased a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 135.6% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 318 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.23% of the company’s stock.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company Profile

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Archer-Daniels-Midland Co engages in the production of oilseeds, corn, wheat, cocoa, and other agricultural commodities. It operates through the following segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, Nutrition, and Other. The Ag Services and Oilseeds segment includes activities related to the origination, merchandising, transportation, and storage of agricultural raw materials, and the crushing and further processing of oilseeds such as soybeans and soft seeds cottonseed, sunflower seed, canola, rapeseed, and flaxseed into vegetable oils and protein meals.