Capstone Investment Advisors LLC Makes New $2.08 Million Investment in The Marzetti Company $MZTI

Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Marzetti Company (NASDAQ:MZTI) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 18,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,080,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MZTI. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marzetti during the second quarter valued at approximately $313,083,000. Vanguard Group Inc. bought a new position in Marzetti in the 4th quarter valued at $367,969,000. State Street Corp bought a new position in Marzetti in the 4th quarter valued at $160,722,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Marzetti by 18.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 803,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,177,000 after purchasing an additional 123,875 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marzetti during the 4th quarter valued at $103,681,000. 66.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marzetti Stock Performance

Shares of MZTI opened at $112.53 on Friday. The Marzetti Company has a 12-month low of $104.28 and a 12-month high of $186.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of 16.14 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $111.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $126.76.

Marzetti (NASDAQ:MZTI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 25th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $465.03 million for the quarter. Marzetti had a net margin of 9.93% and a return on equity of 18.22%.

Marzetti Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Marzetti’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of Marzetti in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of Marzetti from $168.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Marzetti in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marzetti currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $135.00.

Insider Activity at Marzetti

In other news, insider Luis Viso sold 1,221 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.31, for a total transaction of $133,467.51. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $210,312.44. This trade represents a 38.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 29.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Marzetti

Lancaster Colony Corporation engages in the manufacturing and marketing of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels in the United States. It operates in two segments, Retail and Foodservice. The company offers frozen garlic bread under the New York BRAND Bakery; frozen Parkerhouse style yeast and dinner rolls under the Sister Schubert's brand; salad dressings under the Marzetti, Simply Dressed, Cardini's, and Girard's brands; vegetable and fruit dips under the Marzetti brand; croutons and salad toppings under the New York BRAND Bakery, Chatham Village, and Marzetti brands; and frozen pasta under the Marzetti Frozen Pasta brand.