SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) Receives $9.40 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $9.40.

A number of research firms have commented on STKL. DA Davidson boosted their target price on SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of SunOpta from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th.

SunOpta Stock Performance

Shares of STKL opened at $6.87 on Monday. SunOpta has a 52-week low of $2.79 and a 52-week high of $8.58. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $181.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $165.10 million. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 22.85% and a positive return on equity of 4.05%. On average, analysts predict that SunOpta will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at SunOpta

In other SunOpta news, insider Joseph Ennen sold 150,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.89, for a total value of $1,033,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,743,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,012,019.11. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other SunOpta news, insider Joseph Ennen sold 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.89, for a total value of $1,033,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,743,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,012,019.11. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brian W. Kocher acquired 36,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $6.75 per share, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $243,000. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in SunOpta by 4.4% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,947 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,572 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in SunOpta by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 17,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,961 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in SunOpta by 13.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 18,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 2,127 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in SunOpta by 81.7% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 2,338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of SunOpta by 21.7% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 2,352 shares during the period. 85.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About SunOpta

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.