Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases Shares of 167,423 SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL - Free Report) TSE: SOY during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 167,423 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,289,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.14% of SunOpta at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of SunOpta by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,646,861 shares of the company's stock worth $28,081,000 after acquiring an additional 42,232 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in SunOpta by 80.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,127,890 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,579,000 after purchasing an additional 951,462 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in SunOpta by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,827,273 shares of the company's stock worth $11,658,000 after purchasing an additional 290,372 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of SunOpta by 65.6% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,761,922 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,567,000 after purchasing an additional 698,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Portolan Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of SunOpta by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC now owns 1,255,931 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,013,000 after buying an additional 71,967 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.39% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Bryan P. Clark sold 8,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.32, for a total transaction of $45,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 28,150 shares in the company, valued at $149,758. This represents a 23.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on STKL. StockNews.com raised shares of SunOpta from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $10.00 target price on shares of SunOpta in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd.

SunOpta Stock Performance

Shares of STKL stock traded down $0.15 on Monday, hitting $3.97. 1,227,972 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 747,527. The company's fifty day moving average is $6.21 and its 200 day moving average is $6.80. SunOpta Inc. has a 1-year low of $3.81 and a 1-year high of $8.11. The company has a market capitalization of $475.43 million, a PE ratio of -22.05 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL - Get Free Report) TSE: SOY last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 2.74% and a positive return on equity of 7.92%. The company had revenue of $193.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $189.90 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.