Stephens Inc. AR Sells 3,761 Shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM)

Stephens Inc. AR decreased its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) by 13.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,555 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,761 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland were worth $1,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ADM. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 179.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 556 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 724.6% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 78.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Trading Down 2.6 %

NYSE:ADM opened at $45.22 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $50.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.08. The stock has a market cap of $21.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 5.44, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a 12 month low of $45.01 and a 12 month high of $66.08.

Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.07. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 2.10%. The business had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.36 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Archer-Daniels-Midland Company will post 4.53 EPS for the current year.

Archer-Daniels-Midland announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback 100,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This is a boost from Archer-Daniels-Midland’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.51%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Archer-Daniels-Midland’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on ADM. Stephens cut their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $55.00 to $52.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $51.00 to $49.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.11.

About Archer-Daniels-Midland

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company engages in the procurement, transportation, storage, processing, and merchandising of agricultural commodities, ingredients, flavors, and solutions in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition.