96,982 Shares in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) Purchased by Auxano Advisors LLC

Auxano Advisors LLC acquired a new position in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 96,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $530,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in SunOpta by 67.4% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 7,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 3,085 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in SunOpta by 50.9% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in SunOpta during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Realta Investment Advisors purchased a new position in SunOpta during the 4th quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in SunOpta during the 4th quarter valued at $68,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.39% of the company’s stock.

SunOpta Price Performance

Shares of SunOpta stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $6.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 479,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 809,513. The company has a market capitalization of $775.06 million, a P/E ratio of -4.35 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $6.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.58. SunOpta Inc. has a 12-month low of $2.79 and a 12-month high of $8.51.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $181.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $165.10 million. SunOpta had a positive return on equity of 4.05% and a negative net margin of 22.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.14 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STKL has been the subject of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of SunOpta from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. DA Davidson raised their target price on SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on SunOpta from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $9.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at SunOpta

In other SunOpta news, CEO Brian W. Kocher purchased 36,000 shares of SunOpta stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $6.75 per share, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 36,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $243,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other SunOpta news, CEO Brian W. Kocher bought 36,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were bought 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph Ennen sold 150,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.89, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.