SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) Lifted to “Hold” at StockNews.com

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on STKL. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on shares of SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of SunOpta from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $9.40.

SunOpta Stock Performance

Shares of STKL opened at $5.31 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market capitalization of $633.70 million, a PE ratio of -3.49 and a beta of 1.78. SunOpta has a 52-week low of $2.79 and a 52-week high of $7.59.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SunOpta

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of SunOpta by 18.2% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 1,917 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of SunOpta by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 60,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 2,578 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of SunOpta by 13.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 26,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 3,171 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of SunOpta by 50.9% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Epiq Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of SunOpta by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Epiq Partners LLC now owns 295,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,030,000 after purchasing an additional 3,750 shares during the last quarter. 85.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SunOpta Company 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.