SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) Upgraded to Hold by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday.

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

SunOpta Stock Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:STKL opened at $5.37 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. SunOpta has a 12 month low of $2.79 and a 12 month high of $7.59. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.91.

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

Institutional Trading of SunOpta

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in SunOpta by 50.9% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in SunOpta in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in SunOpta in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Realta Investment Advisors acquired a new position in shares of SunOpta during the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of SunOpta by 18.2% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 1,917 shares in the last quarter. 85.39% of the stock is 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.