The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, Dec. 10, edition that National Bank Financial analyst Vishal Shreedhar is maintaining his "outperform" recommendation for Maple Leaf Foods. The Globe's David Leeder writes in the Eye On Equities column that Mr. Shreedhar cut his share target back to $32 from $33. Mr. Shreedhar sees Maple Leaf Foods' announcement of an "unexpected" special dividend "nice but not optimal." On Monday Maple Leaf said it will pay shareholders 60 cents per share on Dec. 19 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 15 in addition to its regular quarterly dividend, pointing to its strong financial position and confidence in its outlook. Mr. Shreedhar says in a note: "While the balance sheet impact is not significant, we believe there are more efficient uses of capital to create shareholder value, including share repurchases (upsized NCIB). In our view, share repurchases can create more shareholder value, particularly when shares are repurchased at attractive levels. That said, we understand that Maple Leaf elected for a special dividend due, in part, to tax considerations. ... Maple Leaf is a company undergoing transformative change."