SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) Lowered to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Friday.

Separately, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $9.00 price objective on shares of SunOpta in a research report on Thursday, October 10th.

SunOpta Stock Performance

SunOpta stock traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $6.80. 1,331,660 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 800,923. SunOpta has a 12 month low of $3.80 and a 12 month high of $7.59. The firm has a market cap of $812.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.89 and a beta of 1.83. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $6.23 and a 200 day moving average of $5.86.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $171.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.95 million. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 23.23% and a positive return on equity of 6.51%. SunOpta’s revenue was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.03) EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that SunOpta will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in STKL. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in SunOpta during the second quarter valued at about $42,000. US Bancorp DE increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 4,772 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of SunOpta in the second quarter valued at $60,000. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in SunOpta during the second quarter worth $63,000. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in SunOpta in the 3rd quarter valued at $80,000. Institutional investors own 85.39% of the company’s stock.

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.