MGP Ingredients (NASDAQ:MGPI) Shares Pass Below 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

MGP Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ:MGPI) passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $23.91 and traded as low as $18.23. MGP Ingredients shares last traded at $18.39, with a volume of 415,894 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of MGP Ingredients from $29.00 to $24.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Zacks Research cut shares of MGP Ingredients from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Benchmark started coverage on shares of MGP Ingredients in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Roth Mkm reduced their price target on MGP Ingredients from $41.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on MGP Ingredients from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MGP Ingredients presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.00.

MGP Ingredients Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $392.81 million, a P/E ratio of -3.69 and a beta of 0.44. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

MGP Ingredients (NASDAQ:MGPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $138.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $132.84 million. MGP Ingredients had a negative net margin of 19.82% and a positive return on equity of 7.46%. The company’s revenue was down 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. MGP Ingredients has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-1.800 EPS. Research analysts expect that MGP Ingredients, Inc. will post 5.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MGP Ingredients Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. MGP Ingredients’s payout ratio is currently -9.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MGP Ingredients

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MGPI. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MGP Ingredients by 130.3% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 935 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in MGP Ingredients by 653.8% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,131 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in MGP Ingredients in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in MGP Ingredients by 237.0% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,830 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in MGP Ingredients by 278.9% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,386 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.11% of the company’s stock.

About MGP Ingredients

MGP Ingredients, Inc (NASDAQ: MGPI) is a leading producer of distilled spirits and specialty ingredient solutions for the food, beverage and consumer products industries. Headquartered in Atchison, Kansas, the company operates two main facilities—its historic Atchison plant, founded in 1941 as Midwest Grain Products, and a modern distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. MGP Ingredients supplies an array of distillation products under its beverage and ingredient segments, serving brand owners, private-label producers and co-packers worldwide.

The beverage segment features a broad portfolio of premium spirits, including bourbon and rye whiskies, vodka, gin and neutral spirits.