Epiq Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

Epiq Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) by 1.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 295,455 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,750 shares during the period. SunOpta comprises 1.4% of Epiq Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Epiq Partners LLC’s holdings in SunOpta were worth $2,030,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in STKL. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of SunOpta by 50.9% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 3,439 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of SunOpta in the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Realta Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of SunOpta during the 4th quarter valued at $68,000. 85.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on STKL shares. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of SunOpta from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price objective on SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $9.25.

SunOpta Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STKL traded down $0.04 on Thursday, reaching $5.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 153,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 834,990. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.93. SunOpta Inc. has a 52-week low of $2.79 and a 52-week high of $7.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.22.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02. The business had revenue of $182.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.87 million. SunOpta had a positive return on equity of 2.50% and a negative net margin of 24.00%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.05 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SunOpta 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.