SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) Shares Bought by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) by 55.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,998 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,635 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in SunOpta were worth $208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of SunOpta by 33.1% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 3,360 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in SunOpta by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 140,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,080,000 after purchasing an additional 3,402 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of SunOpta by 139.3% in 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. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of SunOpta by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 18,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 7,097 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of SunOpta by 65.1% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 20,287 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on STKL shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of SunOpta in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday.

Insider Activity at SunOpta

In other SunOpta news, SVP Bryan P. Clark sold 8,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.32, for a total value of $45,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 28,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $149,758. This represents a 23.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 6.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

SunOpta Stock Performance

Shares of STKL stock opened at $5.40 on Friday. SunOpta Inc. has a 52-week low of $4.88 and a 52-week high of $8.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The stock has a market cap of $646.59 million, a PE ratio of -30.00 and a beta of 1.90. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.93.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06. The company had revenue of $193.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.90 million. SunOpta had a positive return on equity of 7.92% and a negative net margin of 2.74%. On average, equities analysts expect that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 EPS for the current year.

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.