Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. Takes Position in Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM)

Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $324,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ADM. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 1.0% in the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 16,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,271,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 37.3% in the 3rd quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 3.9% during the third quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 18,051 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,304,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.28% of the company’s stock.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:ADM traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $62.03. 4,028,144 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,772,851. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a 52 week low of $50.72 and a 52 week high of $87.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $59.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.43.

Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $21.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.26 billion. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 13.87%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Archer-Daniels-Midland Company will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. Archer-Daniels-Midland’s payout ratio is presently 35.09%.

Archer-Daniels-Midland declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, March 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 6.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ADM shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $51.00 target price (down previously from $104.00) on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Citigroup increased their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Roth Capital lowered Archer-Daniels-Midland from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. TheStreet cut Archer-Daniels-Midland from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $66.00 to $60.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.50.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company Profile

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.