Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $64.68 and last traded at $64.82, with a volume of 560333 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $63.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TSN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Tyson Foods from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets set a $67.00 price objective on Tyson Foods and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Tyson Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Tyson Foods from $59.00 to $58.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Tyson Foods in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.60.

Tyson Foods Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $58.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.29, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.48.

Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $13.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.08 billion. Tyson Foods had a return on equity of 7.95% and a net margin of 0.87%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Tyson Foods, Inc. will post 3.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tyson Foods Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This is an increase from Tyson Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Tyson Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 153.38%.

Insider Transactions at Tyson Foods

In related news, Chairman John H. Tyson sold 100,301 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.05, for a total transaction of $5,822,473.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 2,989,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $173,535,540.75. This trade represents a 3.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Curt Calaway sold 6,539 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.19, for a total transaction of $373,965.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,833 shares in the company, valued at $1,820,529.27. The trade was a 17.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Tyson Foods

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Tyson Foods by 93.1% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Tyson Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Tyson Foods by 175.3% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 512 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the period. City Holding Co. purchased a new position in shares of Tyson Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Tyson Foods by 389.8% in the second quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.00% of the company’s stock.

About Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods, Inc (NYSE: TSN) is a multinational food company primarily engaged in the production, processing and marketing of protein-based and prepared food products. Founded in 1935 and headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company is one of the world’s largest processors of chicken, beef and pork. Its operations span live animal procurement and farming relationships through slaughter, further processing and distribution, supplying raw protein and value-added prepared foods to retail, foodservice and industrial customers.

The company’s product portfolio covers fresh and frozen meats, branded and private-label prepared foods, and a range of value-added items such as ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meals, snack and sandwich meats.