Man Group plc Invests $675,000 in National Beverage Corp. $FIZZ

Man Group plc acquired a new position in shares of National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 21,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $675,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in FIZZ. KBC Group NV acquired a new stake in shares of National Beverage in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,578,000. Denali Advisors LLC grew its holdings in National Beverage by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 222,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,104,000 after purchasing an additional 40,500 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC increased its stake in National Beverage by 54.5% in the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 273,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,544,000 after purchasing an additional 96,550 shares in the last quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in National Beverage in the second quarter worth $3,597,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in National Beverage by 9.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,582,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,265,000 after purchasing an additional 138,433 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 23.95% of the company’s stock.

National Beverage Price Performance

FIZZ opened at $32.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 0.78. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $31.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.02. National Beverage Corp. has a 1 year low of $30.01 and a 1 year high of $41.76.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 1st. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.04). National Beverage had a return on equity of 32.20% and a net margin of 15.56%.The firm had revenue of $297.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $294.81 million.

National Beverage Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 13th were issued a $3.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 13th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on FIZZ. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $33.00 price objective (down from $35.00) on shares of National Beverage in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of National Beverage from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $33.00.

About National Beverage

National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: FIZZ) is a U.S.-based beverage company specializing in the development, marketing and production of nonalcoholic refreshment products. The company’s portfolio includes a range of sparkling waters, soft drinks and energy beverages designed for a variety of consumer tastes and dietary preferences. Through in-house bottling operations and strategic partnerships with co-packers, National Beverage manages production from flavor formulation to final packaging and distribution.

Founded in 1985, National Beverage has broadened its product lineup over the decades through both organic brand introductions and selective acquisitions.