MQS Management LLC Takes Position in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

MQS Management LLC bought a new position in shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 11,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of SunOpta during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in SunOpta in the second quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new stake in SunOpta during the first quarter worth approximately $93,000. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of SunOpta by 39.4% during the 2nd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 18,172 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 5,136 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.39% of the company’s stock.

SunOpta Price Performance

STKL stock opened at $6.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $795.99 million, a P/E ratio of -4.39 and a beta of 1.82. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.94. SunOpta Inc. 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, August 7th. The company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.01. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 23.23% and a positive return on equity of 6.51%. The firm had revenue of $171.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.03) EPS. SunOpta’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.14 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of SunOpta from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $9.25.

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.