Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 54,148 Shares of National Beverage Corp. $FIZZ

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in National Beverage Corp. by 2.0%, acquiring an additional 54,148 shares, which brings its total ownership to approximately 2.99% valued at $116.39 million.
• According to UBS Group, the target price for National Beverage shares has been raised from $42.00 to $45.00, although the stock still carries a "sell" rating.
• National Beverage reported quarterly earnings of $0.48 per share, matching analyst estimates, and generated a revenue of $313.63 million, exceeding expectations of $303.26 million.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,801,900 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 54,148 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 2.99% of National Beverage worth $116,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of National Beverage during the first quarter valued at approximately $7,302,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 1,461.6% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 100,939 shares of the company's stock worth $4,307,000 after acquiring an additional 94,475 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of National Beverage by 5,268.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 85,572 shares of the company's stock worth $3,555,000 after acquiring an additional 83,978 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of National Beverage by 47.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in shares of National Beverage by 99.2% in the first quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 101,627 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,222,000 after purchasing an additional 50,605 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of National Beverage from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Sell" and an average price target of $45.00.

National Beverage Trading Up 4.2%

Shares of FIZZ stock traded up $1.88 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $46.75. 183,478 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 143,527. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.38 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.57. National Beverage Corp. has a 52-week low of $38.25 and a 52-week high of $50.51.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 2nd. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.48. National Beverage had a return on equity of 49.48% and a net margin of 15.55%.The business had revenue of $313.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $303.26 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share.

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.