Caxton Associates LLP Makes New Investment in J & J Snack Foods Corp. $JJSF

Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in J & J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 23,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,834,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in shares of J & J Snack Foods during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,596,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 295.5% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 171,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,518,000 after buying an additional 128,301 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 962.0% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 107,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,301,000 after buying an additional 97,108 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 3,379.2% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 87,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,864,000 after buying an additional 84,515 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in J & J Snack Foods by 14.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 624,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,468,000 after buying an additional 79,093 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.04% of the company’s stock.

J & J Snack Foods Stock Up 0.4%

JJSF stock opened at $76.44 on Friday. J & J Snack Foods Corp. has a 12 month low of $68.87 and a 12 month high of $129.24. The firm has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.65 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $75.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.33.

J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.01. J & J Snack Foods had a net margin of 3.75% and a return on equity of 9.01%. The company had revenue of $344.82 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $349.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.35 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that J & J Snack Foods Corp. will post 4 EPS for the current year.

J & J Snack Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. J & J Snack Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 107.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on JJSF shares. Zacks Research lowered J & J Snack Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Benchmark cut their target price on J & J Snack Foods from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J & J Snack Foods in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $120.00.

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.