Moody Aldrich Partners LLC Purchases New Stake in The Marzetti Company $MZTI

Key Points

• Moody Aldrich Partners LLC purchased 23,650 shares of The Marzetti Company (NASDAQ:MZTI) in Q4, a stake worth about $3.889 million and representing roughly 0.09% ownership.
• Several analysts have trimmed targets and sentiment recently (Stephens, DA Davidson, Wall Street Zen), leaving a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $176.00.
• Marzetti reported quarterly EPS of $2.15 (missed by $0.08) on $509.8M revenue and pays a $1.00 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.00) for a yield of about 3.2%.

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC purchased a new stake in The Marzetti Company (NASDAQ:MZTI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 23,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,889,000. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC owned 0.09% of Marzetti at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Marzetti during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Marzetti during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marzetti during the 4th quarter worth $52,000. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in Marzetti during the 4th quarter worth $57,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marzetti during the 4th quarter worth $62,000. 66.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens cut their price target on shares of Marzetti from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Marzetti in a report on Friday, January 9th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Marzetti from $184.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Marzetti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marzetti presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $176.00.

Marzetti Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of MZTI opened at $126.92 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $147.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.26. The Marzetti Company has a twelve month low of $124.25 and a twelve month high of $193.25. The stock has a market cap of $3.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44 and a beta of 0.47.

Marzetti (NASDAQ:MZTI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.23 by ($0.08). Marzetti had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 18.55%. The company had revenue of $509.77 million for the quarter. The company's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Marzetti Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Marzetti's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.26%.

Marzetti Profile

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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