SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) Given “Overweight” Rating at Stephens

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating restated by equities research analysts at Stephens in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $10.00 target price on the stock. Stephens’ target price points to a potential upside of 27.23% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on STKL. StockNews.com raised SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $9.00 target price on shares of SunOpta in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, SunOpta currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $9.50.

SunOpta Stock Up 1.6 %

NASDAQ STKL opened at $7.86 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $7.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.43. SunOpta has a one year low of $4.88 and a one year high of $8.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $939.60 million, a P/E ratio of -43.66 and a beta of 1.80.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.02. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 2.74% and a positive return on equity of 7.92%. The business had revenue of $176.22 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $172.30 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that SunOpta will post 0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Robert Duchscher sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.33, for a total value of $366,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 42,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $314,977.43. This trade represents a 53.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Rebecca Fisher sold 13,142 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.58, for a total transaction of $99,616.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 108,500 shares in the company, valued at $822,430. This represents a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SunOpta

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in SunOpta by 139.3% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 4,772 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the 2nd quarter valued at about $60,000. MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $63,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of SunOpta during the third quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in SunOpta during the third quarter valued at approximately $80,000. Institutional investors own 85.39% of the company’s stock.

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.