Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in J&J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in J&J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,653,173 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,238 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 8.49% of J&J Snack Foods worth $256,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JJSF. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of J&J Snack Foods by 163.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of J&J Snack Foods in the fourth quarter worth approximately $74,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of J&J Snack Foods by 27.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in J&J Snack Foods by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in J&J Snack Foods by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 627 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. 76.04% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J&J Snack Foods Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ JJSF opened at $134.10 on Friday. J&J Snack Foods Corp. has a 12-month low of $116.60 and a 12-month high of $180.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.90 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $131.03 and a 200 day moving average of $152.23.

J&J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by ($0.29). J&J Snack Foods had a return on equity of 9.84% and a net margin of 5.31%. Sell-side analysts predict that J&J Snack Foods Corp. will post 4.75 EPS for the current year.

J&J Snack Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. J&J Snack Foods’s dividend payout ratio is 71.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JJSF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of J&J Snack Foods from $175.00 to $135.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of J&J Snack Foods in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

J&J Snack Foods Profile

J&J Snack Foods Corp. engages in the manufacturing of nutritional snack foods and distribution of frozen beverages to the food service and retail supermarket industries. It operates through the following segments: Food Service, Retail Supermarkets, and Frozen Beverages. The Food Service segment includes soft pretzels, frozen novelties, churros, handheld products, and baked goods.