EP Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New $79,000 Investment in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 12,414 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in SunOpta during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of SunOpta by 139.3% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 4,772 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of SunOpta during the second quarter valued at approximately $60,000. MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the second quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the third quarter worth approximately $80,000. Institutional investors own 85.39% of the company’s stock.

SunOpta Price Performance

Shares of STKL stock opened at $7.87 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $940.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.72 and a beta of 1.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. SunOpta Inc. has a twelve month low of $4.62 and a twelve month high of $8.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.23.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on STKL shares. StockNews.com upgraded SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of SunOpta from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $9.00 price objective on shares of SunOpta in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $9.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Robert Duchscher sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 42,971 shares in the company, valued at $314,977.43. This represents a 53.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Rebecca Fisher sold 13,142 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.58, for a total value of $99,616.36. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.48% of the company’s stock.

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.