TD Cuts Empire (TSE:EMP.A) Price Target to C$52.00

Empire (TSE:EMP.A) had its price objective lowered by TD from C$53.00 to C$52.00 in a research note released on Friday,BayStreet reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Desjardins reduced their target price on shares of Empire from C$57.00 to C$53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lifted their price target on Empire from C$54.00 to C$58.00 and gave the stock an “outperformer” rating in a report on Friday, June 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Empire from C$55.00 to C$58.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, June 19th. National Bank Financial lowered their price objective on Empire from C$56.00 to C$54.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Empire from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a C$58.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Empire presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of C$53.67.

Empire Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of Empire stock opened at C$45.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 135.51, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of C$49.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$48.76. Empire has a 1 year low of C$43.81 and a 1 year high of C$52.64. The company has a market capitalization of C$10.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.03, a P/E/G ratio of 16.20 and a beta of -0.29.

Empire (TSE:EMP.A) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 10th. The company reported C$1.04 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$8.47 billion for the quarter. Empire had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 12.94%. Research analysts forecast that Empire will post 2.9581227 EPS for the current year.

Empire Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.2425 per share. This is an increase from Empire’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. Empire’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 102.33%.

Key Headlines Impacting Empire

Here are the key news stories impacting Empire this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Empire reported first-quarter earnings of C$1.04 per share and revenue of approximately C$8.47 billion. Sales and profit increased as the company added locations and emphasized discount-focused offerings, supporting the stock’s long-term growth case. Empire reports higher sales and profit as it adds locations, focuses on discount
• Positive Sentiment: Desjardins maintained a “buy” rating, although it reduced its price target from C$57 to C$53. National Bank Financial’s revised C$54 target and TD’s C$52 target also remain above the current share price, indicating analysts continue to see potential appreciation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Empire’s quarterly revenue was below the FactSet consensus of C$8.54 billion, coming in at C$8.47 billion. The modest miss may limit the positive impact of the earnings beat and stronger sales narrative. Empire first-quarter revenue report
• Negative Sentiment: TD cut its target to C$52 from C$53 and downgraded its stance to “hold.” National Bank Financial lowered its target to C$54 from C$56 and assigned a “sector perform” rating, while Scotia reduced its target to C$48 from C$50.
• Negative Sentiment: The broad target-price reductions—particularly Scotia’s limited implied upside—signal that analysts see fewer near-term catalysts following the results. This cautious reassessment is likely the main reason EMP.A has decreased despite reporting higher quarterly earnings and sales.

About Empire

Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A) is a Canadian company headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire’s key businesses are food retailing, through wholly-owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc, and related real estate. With approximately $32 billion in annual sales and $17 billion in assets, Empire and its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately 130,000 people. Additional financial information relating to Empire, including the Company’s Annual Information Form, can be found on the Company’s website at www.empireco.ca or on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.