Short Interest in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) Expands By 6.1%

National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 2,770,000 shares, an increase of 6.1% from the September 15th total of 2,610,000 shares. Currently, 12.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 178,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 15.5 days.

National Beverage Stock Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:FIZZ traded up $0.53 on Thursday, hitting $46.75. The stock had a trading volume of 112,323 shares, compared to its average volume of 174,674. National Beverage has a 52-week low of $42.85 and a 52-week high of $53.58. The stock has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.46 and a beta of 0.82. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $45.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.01.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 5th. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.01. National Beverage had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 39.91%. The company had revenue of $329.47 million during the quarter.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Beverage

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in National Beverage by 1.8% in the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 13,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $638,000 after buying an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in National Beverage by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 16,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $842,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its holdings in National Beverage by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 20,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $970,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Willis Investment Counsel raised its stake in National Beverage by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 6,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in National Beverage by 0.3% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 121,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,777,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. 23.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, UBS Group lowered their price target on National Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 10th.

About National Beverage

National Beverage Corp., through its subsidiaries, develops, produces, markets, and sells a portfolio of sparkling waters, juices, energy drinks, and carbonated soft drinks primarily in the United States and Canada. The company's Power+ brand portfolio offers sparkling water products under the LaCroix, LaCroix Cúrate, and LaCroix NiCola; non-carbonated flavored water under the Clear Fruit; energy drink and shots under the Rip It; juice and juice-based products under Everfresh, Everfresh Premier Varietals, and Mr.