Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Buys New Position in National Beverage Corp. $FIZZ

Key Points

• Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased 26,295 shares of National Beverage Corp. valued at approximately $1,092,000 in the first quarter.
• National Beverage Corp.'s stock has experienced a 0.7% decrease, with shares opening at $39.74 and a market cap of $3.72 billion.
• Analysts from UBS Group have downgraded the target price for National Beverage from $45.00 to $40.00 and assigned a "sell" rating on the stock.

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 26,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,092,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,801,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,391,000 after acquiring an additional 54,148 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,591,933 shares of the company's stock valued at $107,669,000 after acquiring an additional 26,291 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 295,028 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,589,000 after acquiring an additional 28,186 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 218,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,068,000 after acquiring an additional 58,670 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 47.1% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 216,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,249,000 after acquiring an additional 69,400 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.95% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, UBS Group lowered their target price on National Beverage from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Sell" and a consensus price target of $40.00.

National Beverage Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of FIZZ traded down $1.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $39.18. The company had a trading volume of 337,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 191,036. The company has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69 and a beta of 0.72. National Beverage Corp. has a one year low of $38.25 and a one year high of $50.51. The company's fifty day moving average price is $44.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.64.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.60. The firm had revenue of $330.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $354.18 million. National Beverage had a return on equity of 46.30% and a net margin of 15.45%.

National Beverage Company Profile

National Beverage Corp., through its subsidiaries, develops, produces, markets, and sells a portfolio of sparkling waters, juices, energy drinks, and carbonated soft drinks primarily in the United States and Canada. The company's Power+ brand portfolio offers sparkling water products under the LaCroix, LaCroix Cúrate, and LaCroix NiCola; non-carbonated flavored water under the Clear Fruit; energy drink and shots under the Rip It; juice and juice-based products under Everfresh, Everfresh Premier Varietals, and Mr.