SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $4.62 and last traded at $4.71, with a volume of 1003776 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $4.70.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $10.00 price objective on shares of SunOpta in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd.

SunOpta Stock Down 8.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $493.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.89 and a beta of 1.90. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $6.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06. SunOpta had a positive return on equity of 7.92% and a negative net margin of 2.74%. The business had revenue of $193.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.90 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at SunOpta

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SunOpta

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in STKL. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in SunOpta during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,027,000. PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of SunOpta during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $153,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in SunOpta by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 91,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $701,000 after buying an additional 4,053 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in SunOpta by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 1,541,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,866,000 after buying an additional 320,284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in SunOpta by 53.0% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 56,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $434,000 after acquiring an additional 19,551 shares during the last quarter. 85.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About SunOpta

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.