Royce & Associates LP Raises Stake in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

Royce & Associates LP boosted its holdings in shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) by 12.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,731,276 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 192,780 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned 1.45% of SunOpta worth $13,331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in SunOpta by 139.3% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 4,772 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in SunOpta during the 3rd quarter valued at about $79,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new position in SunOpta during the 4th quarter valued at about $81,000. Paloma Partners Management Co purchased a new position in SunOpta during the 3rd quarter valued at about $85,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in SunOpta by 33.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 3,360 shares during the period. 85.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at SunOpta

In other SunOpta news, SVP Bryan P. Clark sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.32, for a total value of $45,220.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 28,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,758. This represents a 23.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

SunOpta Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of SunOpta stock opened at $5.35 on Tuesday. SunOpta Inc. has a twelve month low of $4.88 and a twelve month high of $8.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The company’s 50 day moving average is $6.94 and its 200 day moving average is $6.94. The company has a market cap of $640.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -29.72 and a beta of 1.90.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.06. SunOpta had a positive return on equity of 7.92% and a negative net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $193.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.90 million. Research analysts anticipate that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on STKL shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $10.00 price objective on shares of SunOpta in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th.

SunOpta Company Profile

SunOpta Inc engages in manufacture and sale of plant-based and fruit-based food and beverage products in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company provides plant-based beverages utilizing oat, almond, soy, coconut, rice, hemp, and other bases under the Dream and West Life brands; oat-based creamers under the SOWN brand; ready-to-drink protein shakes; and nut, grain, seed, and legume based beverages; packaged teas and concentrates; and meat and vegetable broths and stocks.