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

StockNews.com lowered shares of SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Friday morning.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on STKL. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on SunOpta from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SunOpta presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $9.25.

SunOpta Stock Down 3.2 %

STKL opened at $5.40 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $644.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.55 and a beta of 1.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.95. SunOpta has a twelve month low of $2.79 and a twelve month high of $7.59.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02. The firm had revenue of $182.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.87 million. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 24.00% and a positive return on equity of 2.50%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.05 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that SunOpta will post 0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of SunOpta during the fourth quarter worth $752,000. Granahan Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of SunOpta by 1,291.2% during the 4th quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC now owns 2,393,790 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,094,000 after buying an additional 2,221,718 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its stake in shares of SunOpta by 33.8% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 28,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 7,246 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,375,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in SunOpta by 49.7% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 60,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 20,038 shares during the last quarter. 85.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.