Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC Takes $116,000 Position in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC acquired a new stake in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 15,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $116,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in SunOpta by 139.3% in the 3rd 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. Mutual Advisors LLC bought a new stake in SunOpta during the fourth quarter valued at $92,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in SunOpta during the third quarter worth about $79,000. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in SunOpta in the 3rd quarter worth about $80,000. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co purchased a new stake in shares of SunOpta in the 3rd quarter valued at about $85,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.39% of the company’s stock.

SunOpta Trading Up 1.3 %

STKL stock opened at $7.53 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $900.96 million, a PE ratio of -41.83 and a beta of 1.80. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $4.88 and a one year high of $8.11. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $7.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.68.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 2.74% and a positive return on equity of 7.92%. The company had revenue of $176.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $172.30 million. As a group, analysts predict that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on STKL shares. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $9.00 price objective on shares of SunOpta in a report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $10.00 price objective on shares of SunOpta in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $9.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Robert Duchscher sold 50,000 shares of SunOpta stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $314,977.43. The trade was a 53.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Rebecca Fisher sold 13,142 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.