Squarepoint Ops LLC Takes $811,000 Position in Nomad Foods Limited (NYSE:NOMD)

Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in Nomad Foods Limited (NYSE:NOMD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 48,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $811,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOMD. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Nomad Foods during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,386,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Nomad Foods in the fourth quarter valued at about $11,967,000. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Nomad Foods by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 8,376,162 shares of the company's stock worth $140,552,000 after buying an additional 410,455 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in Nomad Foods by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,265,000 shares of the company's stock worth $21,227,000 after acquiring an additional 373,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in Nomad Foods by 60.5% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 948,389 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,914,000 after buying an additional 357,443 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.26% of the company's stock.

Nomad Foods Price Performance

NOMD stock traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $16.98. The company had a trading volume of 634,948 shares, compared to its average volume of 662,901. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $18.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 0.81. Nomad Foods Limited has a 12-month low of $15.43 and a 12-month high of $20.81.

Nomad Foods (NYSE:NOMD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $822.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $769.39 million. Nomad Foods had a return on equity of 10.38% and a net margin of 6.54%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Nomad Foods Limited will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Nomad Foods Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Nomad Foods's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NOMD. Mizuho raised their target price on Nomad Foods from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on Nomad Foods from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Nomad Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th.

Nomad Foods Profile

Nomad Foods Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes a range of frozen food products in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company offers frozen fish products, including fish fingers, coated fish, and natural fish; ready-to-cook vegetable products, such as peas and spinach; and frozen poultry and meat products comprising nuggets, grills, and burgers.