J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) Trading Up 8.1% Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

J & J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) shares rose 8.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $84.82 and last traded at $87.06. Approximately 82,355 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 233,410 shares. The stock had previously closed at $80.50.

The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.01. J & J Snack Foods had a return on equity of 8.73% and a net margin of 4.14%.The company had revenue of $343.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $365.95 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

J & J Snack Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. J & J Snack Foods’s dividend payout ratio is 95.52%.

J & J Snack Foods declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to buyback $50.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

More J & J Snack Foods News

Here are the key news stories impacting J & J Snack Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Project Apollo is starting to show results: management reiterated a $20M annualized savings target and said early Apollo actions drove a 200 bps gross-margin improvement and a 7% rise in adjusted EBITDA, supporting operating leverage going forward. Project Apollo article
• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized a new $50M share-repurchase program and the company completed ~$42M of repurchases in Q1 — a cash-return signal that typically supports the share price. Press release
• Positive Sentiment: Product/portfolio progress: pretzel segment continued share gains and management flagged upcoming retail launches (Dippin’ Dots and better-for-you pretzel/frozen novelty SKUs) that could drive retail momentum into the summer selling season. Press release
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS slightly beat consensus on an adjusted basis: GAAP EPS were weak but adjusted EPS of $0.33 matched last year and edged past Zacks’ $0.32 consensus — a mixed read for investors focused on recurring profitability vs. one-time items. Zacks earnings note
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/technical backdrop: Zacks notes the stock has been pulled into oversold territory and says analysts are revising estimates higher — a potential contrarian setup but not guaranteed to sustain gains. Zacks technical/estimate note
• Negative Sentiment: Sales and GAAP earnings weakness: revenue fell 5.2% y/y to $343.8M (below consensus ~$366M) and GAAP net income plunged ~83% y/y due to lower volume and non‑recurring charges — a clear near-term headwind for investor confidence. Press release
• Negative Sentiment: Bakery weakness and one-time costs: the bakery business declined ~17% and Q1 included ~$6.1M in plant closure costs and other non-recurring charges that depressed operating income — risk that near-term margins remain lumpy while rationalization completes. Press release

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on JJSF shares. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of J & J Snack Foods in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J & J Snack Foods in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered J & J Snack Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, J & J Snack Foods has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $132.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other J & J Snack Foods news, Director Kathleen E. Ciaramello purchased 540 shares of J & J Snack Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $90.56 per share, with a total value of $48,902.40. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $91,737.28. This trade represents a 114.16% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 20.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in J & J Snack Foods by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,000,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $180,822,000 after purchasing an additional 31,612 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in J & J Snack Foods by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,739,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,451,000 after acquiring an additional 26,975 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC grew its position in J & J Snack Foods by 6.4% in the second quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 553,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,786,000 after buying an additional 33,376 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in J & J Snack Foods by 19.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 404,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,865,000 after purchasing an additional 67,028 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 1.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 380,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,211,000 after purchasing an additional 6,334 shares during the last quarter. 76.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J & J Snack Foods Trading Up 7.3%

The company has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.73 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $92.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.01.

About J & J Snack Foods

J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ: JJSF) is a U.S.-based manufacturer and distributor of branded snack foods and frozen beverages. Headquartered in Pennsauken, New Jersey, the company develops, produces and markets a broad array of proprietary and licensed products for retail, concession and foodservice customers. Its offerings span soft pretzels, frozen novelties, real Italian ice, churros and packaged beverages under well-known names such as ICEE, SuperPretzel, Luigi’s and ChurroMan.

Founded in 1971 by Gerald B.