Marshall Wace LLP Raises Holdings in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL - Free Report) TSE: SOY by 10.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 963,306 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 91,764 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.81% of SunOpta worth $7,417,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the 4th quarter worth about $81,000. Mutual Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the 4th quarter worth about $92,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of SunOpta by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 14,542 shares of the company's stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,923 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the 4th quarter worth about $116,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of SunOpta by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 18,070 shares of the company's stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 7,097 shares during the period. 85.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on STKL. StockNews.com raised shares of SunOpta from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $10.00 price target on shares of SunOpta in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd.

SunOpta Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STKL remained flat at $4.32 during midday trading on Monday. The stock had a trading volume of 697,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 759,093. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $5.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $517.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.00 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. SunOpta Inc. has a 12-month low of $3.65 and a 12-month high of $8.11.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL - Get Free Report) TSE: SOY last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06. SunOpta had a positive return on equity of 7.92% and a negative net margin of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $193.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $189.90 million. Equities analysts forecast that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Bryan P. Clark sold 8,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.32, for a total transaction of $45,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 28,150 shares in the company, valued at $149,758. This trade represents a 23.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

SunOpta Company Profile

SunOpta Inc engages in manufacture and sale of plant-based and fruit-based food and beverage products in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company provides plant-based beverages utilizing oat, almond, soy, coconut, rice, hemp, and other bases under the Dream and West Life brands; oat-based creamers under the SOWN brand; ready-to-drink protein shakes; and nut, grain, seed, and legume based beverages; packaged teas and concentrates; and meat and vegetable broths and stocks.