EP Wealth Advisors LLC Takes $279,000 Position in National Beverage Corp. $FIZZ

EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 6,726 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $279,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National Beverage by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,801,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,391,000 after purchasing an additional 54,148 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $107,669,000 after acquiring an additional 26,291 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in National Beverage by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 295,028 shares of the company's stock worth $12,589,000 after acquiring an additional 28,186 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in National Beverage by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 218,300 shares of the company's stock worth $9,068,000 after acquiring an additional 58,670 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $9,249,000 after acquiring an additional 69,400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 23.95% of the company's stock.

National Beverage Stock Down 2.9%

National Beverage stock traded down $1.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $39.18. 337,277 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 191,036. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.64. National Beverage Corp. has a 52 week low of $38.25 and a 52 week high of $50.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69 and a beta of 0.72.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $354.18 million. National Beverage had a net margin of 15.45% and a return on equity of 46.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of National Beverage from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Sell" and an average target price of $40.00.

About National Beverage

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.