SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) Shares Purchased by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) by 64.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,070 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,097 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in SunOpta were worth $139,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of SunOpta by 9.3% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 30,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 2,617 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in SunOpta by 97.7% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 22,012 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 10,876 shares during the last quarter. First Bank & Trust grew its holdings in SunOpta by 7.9% in the third quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 25,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 1,856 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 4,772 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of SunOpta by 127.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,063,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,788,000 after acquiring an additional 596,403 shares during the last quarter. 85.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on STKL. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $10.00 price objective on shares of SunOpta in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com raised SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SunOpta has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $9.50.

SunOpta Price Performance

Shares of STKL opened at $6.98 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $835.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.78 and a beta of 1.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $7.48 and a 200-day moving average of $6.94. 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 52 week low of $4.88 and a 52 week high of $8.11.

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.