Marshall Wace LLP Acquires 91,764 Shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL - Free Report) TSE: SOY by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 963,306 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 91,764 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.81% of SunOpta worth $7,417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of SunOpta by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,646,861 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,081,000 after buying an additional 42,232 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of SunOpta by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,207,838 shares of the company's stock worth $17,002,000 after acquiring an additional 71,116 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in SunOpta by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,143,323 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,508,000 after acquiring an additional 15,433 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in SunOpta by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,827,273 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,658,000 after purchasing an additional 290,372 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in SunOpta by 65.6% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,761,922 shares of the company's stock worth $13,567,000 after purchasing an additional 698,004 shares during the last quarter. 85.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at SunOpta

In other SunOpta news, SVP Bryan P. Clark sold 8,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.32, for a total value of $45,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 28,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $149,758. This trade represents a 23.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

SunOpta Price Performance

SunOpta stock opened at $4.09 on Wednesday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $5.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $489.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.72 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.20. SunOpta Inc. has a 52-week low of $3.65 and a 52-week high of $8.11.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.06. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 2.74% and a positive return on equity of 7.92%. The business had revenue of $193.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.90 million. On average, equities analysts predict that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on STKL. StockNews.com upgraded shares of SunOpta from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $10.00 price target on shares of SunOpta in a report on Thursday, January 2nd.

SunOpta Profile

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.

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