Quad/Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Quad/Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Separately, TheStreet raised Quad/Graphics from a d+ rating to a c rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th.

Quad/Graphics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE QUAD opened at $4.53 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08. The company has a market capitalization of $236.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.94 and a beta of 1.62. Quad/Graphics has a twelve month low of $2.68 and a twelve month high of $6.75. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.12.

Quad/Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.10. Quad/Graphics had a negative net margin of 1.87% and a positive return on equity of 18.28%. The firm had revenue of $787.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $758.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Quad/Graphics will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Quad/Graphics Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 21st. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. Quad/Graphics’s dividend payout ratio is currently -17.39%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Quad/Graphics by 1.3% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 196,365 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $988,000 after buying an additional 2,425 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Quad/Graphics by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 17,850 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 2,710 shares during the period. D Orazio & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Quad/Graphics by 47.1% in the fourth quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 21,642 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 6,933 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Quad/Graphics by 20.8% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 46,127 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 7,947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quad/Graphics by 9.8% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 89,865 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 8,031 shares during the period. 39.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Quad/Graphics

Quad/Graphics, Inc provides marketing solutions worldwide. The company operates through United States Print and Related Services, and International segments. It offers printing services, such as retail inserts, publications, catalogs, special interest publications, journals, direct mail, directories, in-store marketing and promotion, packaging, newspapers, custom print products, and other commercial and specialty printed products; and paper procurement services.