63,600 Shares in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) Purchased by Wesbanco Bank Inc.

Wesbanco Bank Inc. bought a new stake in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 63,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,000. Wesbanco Bank Inc. owned about 0.05% of SunOpta at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of SunOpta by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,012,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,799,000 after purchasing an additional 10,582 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in SunOpta by 39.3% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 30,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 8,652 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of SunOpta by 65.6% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,761,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,567,000 after buying an additional 698,004 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of SunOpta by 12.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 515,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,287,000 after buying an additional 56,621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of SunOpta by 103.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 178,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,142,000 after buying an additional 90,937 shares during the period. 85.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SunOpta Stock Performance

Shares of SunOpta stock opened at $7.38 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.63. The company has a market cap of $883.02 million, a PE ratio of -41.00 and a beta of 1.80. SunOpta Inc. has a one year low of $4.88 and a one year high of $8.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.20.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02. The company had revenue of $176.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $172.30 million. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 2.74% and a positive return on equity of 7.92%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at SunOpta

In other SunOpta news, insider Robert Duchscher sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.33, for a total value of $366,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,971 shares in the company, valued at $314,977.43. This represents a 53.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Rebecca Fisher sold 13,142 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.58, for a total transaction of $99,616.36. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 108,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $822,430. The trade was a 10.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STKL has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com raised SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $9.00 price objective on shares of SunOpta in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of SunOpta in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, SunOpta currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $9.50.

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.