National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) Shares Climb 5.5% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• National Beverage shares rose 5.5% to about $32.20, although trading volume was 43% below the average daily level.
• Analysts remain negative: UBS assigned a $31 price target and “sell” rating, while Weiss Ratings also downgraded the stock. The consensus rating is “Sell” with a $31 target.
• The company’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, with EPS of $0.50 versus $0.59 estimated and revenue of $330.66 million versus $342.08 million expected.

National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Get Free Report) shares were up 5.5% during trading on Monday. The company traded as high as $31.90 and last traded at $32.2010. 198,927 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 43% from the average daily volume of 351,080 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.52.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group set a $31.00 price objective on National Beverage and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded National Beverage from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Sell" and a consensus target price of $31.00.

National Beverage Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $31.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.07. The company has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27 and a beta of 0.87.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 10th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.09). National Beverage had a return on equity of 32.61% and a net margin of 14.81%. The firm had revenue of $330.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $342.08 million.

Institutional Trading of National Beverage

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 958.8% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 900 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 815 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of National Beverage in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of National Beverage in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Beverage in the second quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of National Beverage by 175.6% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,367 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 23.95% of the company's stock.

National Beverage Company Profile

National Beverage Corp. is a beverage company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a portfolio of carbonated and noncarbonated drinks. The company is best known for its flavored sparkling water, soft drinks, energy drinks, juices and enhanced water products.

Its brand portfolio includes LaCroix sparkling water, as well as Shasta, Faygo, Rip It, Everfresh, Mr. Pure and ClearFruit. Products are sold through grocery stores, mass merchants, convenience stores, vending channels, food-service operators and other retail outlets, primarily in the United States and Canada.

National Beverage traces its corporate history to 1985 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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