SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) Short Interest Down 23.0% in April

SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL - Get Free Report) TSE: SOY was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,950,000 shares, a decrease of 23.0% from the March 31st total of 7,730,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 826,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.2 days.

SunOpta Trading Up 2.1 %

NASDAQ STKL traded up $0.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $6.69. 719,437 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 756,753. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $6.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.65. SunOpta has a 12-month low of $2.79 and a 12-month high of $8.56. The firm has a market cap of $791.61 million, a P/E ratio of -4.37 and a beta of 1.73.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL - Get Free Report) TSE: SOY last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $181.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.10 million. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 22.85% and a positive return on equity of 4.05%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that SunOpta will post 0.14 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on SunOpta from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on shares of SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $9.40.

Insider Transactions at SunOpta

In other news, insider Joseph Ennen sold 150,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 1,743,399 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,012,019.11. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Brian W. Kocher bought 36,000 shares of SunOpta stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $6.75 per share, with a total value of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,000 shares in the company, valued at $243,000. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Joseph Ennen sold 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,743,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,012,019.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of SunOpta

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of SunOpta by 67.4% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 7,663 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 3,085 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in SunOpta by 50.9% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,189 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 3,439 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in SunOpta in the third quarter worth about $37,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in SunOpta in the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, Realta Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in SunOpta in the fourth quarter worth about $66,000. 85.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.