DA Davidson Cuts Marzetti (NASDAQ:MZTI) Price Target to $130.00

Key Points

• DA Davidson lowered Marzetti’s price target from $168 to $130 while maintaining a “neutral” rating. The new target implies approximately 14% upside from the prior close.
• Marzetti shares fell 3.0% to $113.87, while the broader analyst consensus remains “Reduce” with a $135 price target.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $1.46 on $465.03 million in revenue, though sales declined 2.2% year over year and came in below expectations. Management expects margin improvement but warned of a potential Cyclospora-related headwind.

Marzetti (NASDAQ:MZTI - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by equities research analysts at DA Davidson from $168.00 to $130.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. DA Davidson's target price points to a potential upside of 14.17% from the company's previous close.

MZTI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Marzetti in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of Marzetti in a research note on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $135.00.

Marzetti Stock Down 3.0%

• Lancaster Colony Corporation NASDAQ: LANC Is About To Raise The Dividend

Shares of MZTI stock traded down $3.48 on Wednesday, reaching $113.87. The company had a trading volume of 109,677 shares, compared to its average volume of 300,595. The business's 50-day moving average is $111.69 and its 200 day moving average is $127.35. Marzetti has a one year low of $104.28 and a one year high of $186.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a PE ratio of 17.83 and a beta of 0.32.

Marzetti (NASDAQ:MZTI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 25th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $465.03 million for the quarter. Marzetti had a net margin of 9.06% and a return on equity of 18.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Luis Viso sold 1,221 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.31, for a total transaction of $133,467.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at $210,312.44. This trade represents a 38.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 29.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marzetti

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marzetti in the 4th quarter worth about $40,196,000. Wesbanco Bank Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marzetti during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,736,000. F m Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marzetti during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,417,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Marzetti by 3,214.6% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 23,998 shares of the company's stock worth $3,320,000 after purchasing an additional 23,274 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in Marzetti during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,839,000. Institutional investors own 66.44% of the company's stock.

Marzetti News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Marzetti this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fourth-quarter adjusted earnings increased 9%, while margin expansion helped offset lower revenue. Management also highlighted new product launches and expects gross margin to improve by approximately 100 basis points in fiscal 2027. MZTI Q2 deep dive: Margin expansion and new product launches offset sales decline
• Positive Sentiment: Marzetti reported quarterly earnings of $1.46 per share on $465.03 million in revenue, with a 9.06% net margin and 18.12% return on equity. The Marzetti Company Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year Results
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens reaffirmed its “equal weight” rating but set a $140 price target, implying roughly 22% potential upside from recent levels. Stephens rating update
• Positive Sentiment: Improved margins, dividend growth and reported institutional buying are supporting the company’s profile as a Dividend King and helped reinforce a potential recovery narrative. Marzetti Stock Confirms Reversal on Earnings Strength, Dividend Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Management expects fiscal 2027 gross-margin gains, but warned that a Cyclospora-related disruption could create a 250-basis-point headwind in the first quarter. Marzetti expects 100 bps gross margin growth in fiscal 2027
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter consolidated sales declined 2.2% to $465.0 million and came in below analyst expectations. Excluding the prior-year temporary Winland Foods supply agreement, however, sales increased, limiting the severity of the comparison. Marzetti reports sales below analyst estimates

About Marzetti

Lancaster Colony Corporation engages in the manufacturing and marketing of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels in the United States. It operates in two segments, Retail and Foodservice. The company offers frozen garlic bread under the New York BRAND Bakery; frozen Parkerhouse style yeast and dinner rolls under the Sister Schubert's brand; salad dressings under the Marzetti, Simply Dressed, Cardini's, and Girard's brands; vegetable and fruit dips under the Marzetti brand; croutons and salad toppings under the New York BRAND Bakery, Chatham Village, and Marzetti brands; and frozen pasta under the Marzetti Frozen Pasta brand.

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