Quad Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quad Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday morning.

QUAD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on shares of Quad Graphics from $8.20 to $9.80 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Quad Graphics in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Quad Graphics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $9.90.

Quad Graphics Stock Performance

Quad Graphics stock opened at $6.53 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $341.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.08 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.52. Quad Graphics has a 12-month low of $4.50 and a 12-month high of $7.54.

Quad Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The business services provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. Quad Graphics had a net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 49.71%. The firm had revenue of $630.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $632.90 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Quad Graphics will post 1.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quad Graphics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. This is a positive change from Quad Graphics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. Quad Graphics’s payout ratio is presently 74.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quad Graphics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of QUAD. Miller Value Partners LLC grew its holdings in Quad Graphics by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Miller Value Partners LLC now owns 2,737,890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $17,167,000 after acquiring an additional 114,415 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Quad Graphics by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,799,720 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,266,000 after purchasing an additional 11,773 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Quad Graphics by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,353,001 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,483,000 after purchasing an additional 3,687 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Quad Graphics by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 703,720 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,977,000 after purchasing an additional 1,837 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its stake in shares of Quad Graphics by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 462,898 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,902,000 after purchasing an additional 153,172 shares during the period. 39.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Quad Graphics

Quad Graphics, Inc (NYSE: QUAD) is a global provider of print and related marketing services, serving a diverse range of clients in the publishing, retail, e-commerce and consumer packaged goods sectors. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span traditional print production, supply chain management and digital marketing support. Quad Graphics leverages a network of production facilities and distribution centers to deliver high-quality printed materials and integrated marketing programs that help clients reach their target audiences across multiple channels.

The company’s core offerings include magazine and catalog printing, direct mail, retail inserts, shopper marketing materials, custom packaging and point-of-sale displays.