Associated British Foods (LON:ABF) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Associated British Foods plc (LON:ABF)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as GBX 2,128 ($26.86) and last traded at GBX 2,139 ($27.00), with a volume of 3395510 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,192 ($27.67).

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on ABF. Shore Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Associated British Foods in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Associated British Foods to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from GBX 2,290 ($28.90) to GBX 2,190 ($27.64) in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th.

Associated British Foods Price Performance

The company has a market cap of £15.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,381.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is GBX 2,268.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 2,398.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.71, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Associated British Foods Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of GBX 69.30 ($0.87) per share. This represents a yield of 3.03%. This is a positive change from Associated British Foods’s previous dividend of $20.70. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. Associated British Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3,483.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Loraine Woodhouse purchased 4,164 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 2,389 ($30.15) per share, with a total value of £99,477.96 ($125,555.93). Also, insider George G. Weston sold 56,653 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 2,161 ($27.28), for a total transaction of £1,224,271.33 ($1,545,211.83). 58.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Associated British Foods Company Profile

Associated British Foods plc operates as a diversified food, ingredients, and retail company worldwide. It operates through five segments: Grocery, Ingredients, Agriculture, Sugar, and Retail. The Grocery segment manufactures and sells grocery products, including hot beverages, sugar and sweeteners, vegetable oils, balsamic vinegars, bread and baked goods, cereals, ethnic foods, and meat products to retail, wholesale, and foodservice businesses.