SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) Shares Down 4.4%

SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL - Get Free Report) TSE: SOY's stock price traded down 4.4% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $5.54 and last traded at $5.60. 224,298 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 878,226 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.86.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on STKL shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on SunOpta from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, SunOpta currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $9.40.

SunOpta Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $6.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.66. The firm has a market cap of $691.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.83 and a beta of 1.73. 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 (NASDAQ:STKL - Get Free Report) TSE: SOY last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.02. The company had revenue of $182.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.87 million. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 22.85% and a positive return on equity of 4.05%. SunOpta's revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.05 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.14 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph Ennen sold 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.89, for a total transaction of $1,033,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,743,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,012,019.11. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other SunOpta news, insider Joseph Ennen sold 150,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.89, for a total transaction of $1,033,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,743,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,012,019.11. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Brian W. Kocher bought 36,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $6.75 per share, with a total value of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 36,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $243,000. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 6.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of SunOpta

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STKL. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of SunOpta by 18.2% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 1,917 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in SunOpta by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 60,984 shares of the company's stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 2,578 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in SunOpta by 67.4% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 7,663 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 3,085 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of SunOpta by 50.9% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439 shares during the period. Finally, Epiq Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of SunOpta by 1.3% in the first quarter. Epiq Partners LLC now owns 295,455 shares of the company's stock worth $2,030,000 after purchasing an additional 3,750 shares in the last quarter. 85.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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