D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Buys 69,400 Shares of National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Free Report) by 47.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 216,763 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 69,400 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned 0.23% of National Beverage worth $9,249,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FIZZ. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of National Beverage by 389.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,810 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,962,000 after purchasing an additional 33,275 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Beverage by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,547 shares of the company's stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of National Beverage by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 39,559 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,688,000 after purchasing an additional 1,624 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of National Beverage by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 37,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,590,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of National Beverage by 89.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,357 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.95% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at National Beverage

In other news, Director Stanley Michael Sheridan sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.40, for a total value of $347,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 62,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,708,507.20. This represents a 11.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 74.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, UBS Group decreased their price target on National Beverage from $46.00 to $41.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th.

National Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FIZZ traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $44.94. 53,344 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 185,017. National Beverage Corp. has a one year low of $38.25 and a one year high of $53.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.58 and a beta of 0.88. The company's 50 day moving average is $42.58 and its 200 day moving average is $43.62.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.03). National Beverage had a return on equity of 42.80% and a net margin of 15.63%. The business had revenue of $267.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $282.22 million.

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.