Islay Capital Management LLC Makes New $858,000 Investment in Smithfield Foods, Inc. $SFD

Islay Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 38,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $858,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Smithfield Foods during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Smithfield Foods during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Parallel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Smithfield Foods during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Smithfield Foods by 82.2% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,816 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Smithfield Foods during the third quarter worth approximately $98,000.

Smithfield Foods Price Performance

NASDAQ SFD opened at $25.93 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.13 and a beta of -0.49. Smithfield Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.08 and a 52-week high of $29.81.

Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.06. Smithfield Foods had a net margin of 6.48% and a return on equity of 15.54%. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. Smithfield Foods’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Smithfield Foods, Inc. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Smithfield Foods Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $0.3125 per share. This represents a $1.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. Smithfield Foods’s payout ratio is currently 48.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SFD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Smithfield Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 25th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Smithfield Foods from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Smithfield Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Smithfield Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Smithfield Foods from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Smithfield Foods has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.88.

Smithfield Foods Company Profile

Smithfield Foods, Inc (NASDAQ: SFD) is one of the world’s largest pork processors and hog producers. Founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, the company has grown from a regional ham producer into a fully integrated food company offering a broad range of fresh pork, value-added meats and prepared foods. Its product portfolio includes bacon, ham, sausage, ribs and deli meats marketed under well-known brands such as Smithfield®, Nathan’s Famous® and Eckrich®.

Smithfield operates a network of hog production facilities, processing plants and distribution centers across the United States, Europe and Latin America.