Simply Good Foods (NASDAQ:SMPL) Director James Kilts Acquires 80,000 Shares

Key Points

• Director James Kilts bought 80,000 shares on April 23 at an average of $12.39 each (~$991,200), increasing his stake to 172,854 shares (an 86.16% increase).
• SMPL traded around $13.09 with a $1.18B market cap; the company reported $0.45 EPS (beat $0.40) but revenue was down 9.4% year-over-year, and analysts hold an average "Hold" rating with a $22.64 target.

The Simply Good Foods Company (NASDAQ:SMPL - Get Free Report) Director James Kilts acquired 80,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.39 per share, for a total transaction of $991,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 172,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,141,661.06. The trade was a 86.16% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Simply Good Foods Price Performance

Shares of SMPL traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $13.09. The stock had a trading volume of 1,019,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,671,045. The firm has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.99 and a beta of 0.33. The Simply Good Foods Company has a 12 month low of $10.21 and a 12 month high of $36.99. The business has a fifty day moving average of $14.54 and a 200 day moving average of $18.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.87 and a current ratio of 5.06.

Simply Good Foods (NASDAQ:SMPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 9th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $326.01 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.08 million. Simply Good Foods had a negative net margin of 7.46% and a positive return on equity of 9.72%. The company's revenue was down 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that The Simply Good Foods Company will post 1.54 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Simply Good Foods

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SMPL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Simply Good Foods by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,631,429 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $213,479,000 after purchasing an additional 249,405 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Simply Good Foods by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,288,680 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $106,443,000 after buying an additional 346,395 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Simply Good Foods by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,645,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $115,169,000 after buying an additional 14,089 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in Simply Good Foods by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 3,520,960 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $87,390,000 after buying an additional 486,837 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in Simply Good Foods by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,124,640 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,663,000 after buying an additional 469,903 shares during the last quarter. 88.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on SMPL. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Simply Good Foods in a research note on Friday, January 9th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Simply Good Foods from $20.00 to $13.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Simply Good Foods from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Simply Good Foods from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Simply Good Foods from $32.00 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $22.64.

About Simply Good Foods

Simply Good Foods Co NASDAQ: SMPL is a North American consumer packaged foods company specializing in better-for-you nutrition products. The company’s portfolio centers on two well-established brands, Atkins and Quest, which offer a range of low-carbohydrate, high-protein bars, powders, shakes, and snacks. Simply Good Foods aims to support consumers’ health and wellness goals by delivering convenient, nutrient-dense options without added sugars or artificial sweeteners.

Under the Atkins brand, the company produces meal replacements, snack bars, and ready-to-drink shakes designed for low-carb dieters.

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