SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Separately, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $9.00 price target on shares of SunOpta in a research report on Thursday, October 10th.

SunOpta Stock Up 3.9 %

STKL opened at $6.80 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $812.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.89 and a beta of 1.83. SunOpta has a 12 month low of $3.80 and a 12 month high of $7.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The business has a 50-day moving average of $6.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.86.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $171.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.95 million. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 23.23% and a positive return on equity of 6.51%. SunOpta’s revenue was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.03) earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that SunOpta will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of SunOpta

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its stake in shares of SunOpta by 1.1% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 5,064,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,346,000 after purchasing an additional 56,560 shares in the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in SunOpta by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,198,624 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,273,000 after acquiring an additional 323,397 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in SunOpta by 77.0% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 1,971,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,543,000 after acquiring an additional 857,603 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in SunOpta by 116.3% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,396,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,542,000 after acquiring an additional 751,126 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its position in SunOpta by 52.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,333,948 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,202,000 after acquiring an additional 459,053 shares in the last quarter. 85.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About SunOpta

SunOpta Inc engages in manufacture and sale of plant-based and fruit-based food and beverage products in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company provides plant-based beverages utilizing oat, almond, soy, coconut, rice, hemp, and other bases under the Dream and West Life brands; oat-based creamers under the SOWN brand; ready-to-drink protein shakes; and nut, grain, seed, and legume based beverages; packaged teas and concentrates; and meat and vegetable broths and stocks.