Analysts Set SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) Target Price at $9.40

Shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL - Get Free Report) TSE: SOY have been assigned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $9.40.

A number of research firms recently commented on STKL. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on SunOpta from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th.

Insider Transactions at SunOpta

In other news, CEO Brian W. Kocher bought 36,000 shares of SunOpta stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $6.75 per share, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $243,000. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Joseph Ennen sold 150,000 shares of SunOpta stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.89, for a total value of $1,033,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,743,399 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,012,019.11. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian W. Kocher purchased 36,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $6.75 per share, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $243,000. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 5.82% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of STKL. Zazove Associates LLC lifted its stake in SunOpta by 67.1% in the third quarter. Zazove Associates LLC now owns 482,023 shares of the company's stock worth $1,624,000 after purchasing an additional 193,484 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in SunOpta in the third quarter worth about $922,000. Wynnefield Capital Inc. grew its holdings in SunOpta by 125.2% in the third quarter. Wynnefield Capital Inc. now owns 1,000,000 shares of the company's stock worth $3,370,000 after purchasing an additional 556,000 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in SunOpta by 66.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 97,260 shares of the company's stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 38,810 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of SunOpta by 50.9% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 3,439 shares during the last quarter. 85.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SunOpta Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of STKL traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $5.96. 521,490 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 818,493. The company has a market cap of $705.04 million, a PE ratio of -3.90 and a beta of 1.73. The firm's 50 day moving average is $6.44 and its 200-day moving average is $5.39. SunOpta has a 52 week low of $2.79 and a 52 week high of $8.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 1.19.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL - Get Free Report) TSE: SOY last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $181.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $165.10 million. SunOpta had a positive return on equity of 4.05% and a negative net margin of 22.85%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that SunOpta will post 0.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About SunOpta

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.