Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases New Position in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 14,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $631,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in National Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of National Beverage by 89.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,357 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of National Beverage by 43.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,594 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of National Beverage by 158.3% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,387 shares of the company's stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 1,463 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in National Beverage by 78.0% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,171 shares of the company's stock worth $135,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares in the last quarter. 23.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Beverage Trading Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ:FIZZ traded down $0.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $43.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 128,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 184,664. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $42.33 and a 200-day moving average of $43.67. The company has a market capitalization of $4.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.88 and a beta of 0.88. National Beverage Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $38.25 and a fifty-two week high of $53.48.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stanley Michael Sheridan sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.40, for a total transaction of $347,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 62,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,708,507.20. This represents a 11.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 74.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, UBS Group reduced their target price 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.

About National Beverage

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.