Northern Trust Corp Purchases 20,449 Shares of J&J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF)

Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of J&J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF - Free Report) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 209,898 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,449 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.08% of J&J Snack Foods worth $32,561,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of J&J Snack Foods by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of J&J Snack Foods by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 513 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of J&J Snack Foods by 27.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 498 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in J&J Snack Foods by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 16,946 shares of the company's stock worth $2,629,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Bridge City Capital LLC increased its position in shares of J&J Snack Foods by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 16,571 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,571,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.04% of the company's stock.

J&J Snack Foods Price Performance

JJSF stock traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $116.30. The company had a trading volume of 29,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 107,552. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.79. The company has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79 and a beta of 0.49. J&J Snack Foods Corp. has a 52 week low of $112.40 and a 52 week high of $180.80.

J&J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.34). J&J Snack Foods had a return on equity of 9.84% and a net margin of 5.31%. The business had revenue of $356.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $369.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.84 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that J&J Snack Foods Corp. will post 4.75 EPS for the current year.

J&J Snack Foods Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. J&J Snack Foods's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on JJSF shares. Benchmark lowered their price target on J&J Snack Foods from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on J&J Snack Foods from $175.00 to $135.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th.

About J&J Snack Foods

J&J Snack Foods Corp. engages in the manufacturing of nutritional snack foods and distribution of frozen beverages to the food service and retail supermarket industries. It operates through the following segments: Food Service, Retail Supermarkets, and Frozen Beverages. The Food Service segment includes soft pretzels, frozen novelties, churros, handheld products, and baked goods.