BNP Paribas Financial Markets Increases Position in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) by 33.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,627 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,518 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in SunOpta were worth $291,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of SunOpta during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in SunOpta by 139.3% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,772 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new stake in SunOpta during the second quarter worth $60,000. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in SunOpta in the second quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of SunOpta in the third quarter valued at $80,000. 85.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on STKL. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of SunOpta from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $9.00 price objective on shares of SunOpta in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $9.50.

SunOpta Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STKL opened at $7.87 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $940.23 million, a PE ratio of -43.72 and a beta of 1.78. SunOpta Inc. has a 12 month low of $4.62 and a 12 month high of $8.11.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.02. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 2.74% and a positive return on equity of 7.92%. The firm had revenue of $176.22 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $172.30 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at SunOpta

In related news, Director Rebecca Fisher sold 13,142 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.58, for a total value of $99,616.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 108,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $822,430. The trade was a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert Duchscher sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.33, for a total transaction of $366,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $314,977.43. This represents a 53.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.48% of the company’s stock.

SunOpta Profile

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.