Portolan Capital Management LLC Acquires 411,567 Shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

Portolan Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL - Free Report) TSE: SOY by 32.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,667,498 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 411,567 shares during the period. Portolan Capital Management LLC owned about 1.39% of SunOpta worth $12,840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of SunOpta during the 4th quarter worth approximately $733,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of SunOpta by 103.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 178,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,142,000 after buying an additional 90,937 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in SunOpta by 18.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,827,273 shares of the company's stock worth $11,658,000 after buying an additional 290,372 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in SunOpta by 80.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,127,890 shares of the company's stock worth $13,579,000 after acquiring an additional 951,462 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in SunOpta by 12.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 515,170 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,287,000 after acquiring an additional 56,621 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.39% of the company's stock.

SunOpta Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STKL traded up $0.02 on Friday, hitting $3.90. The company had a trading volume of 650,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 758,524. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $5.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The stock has a market cap of $467.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.67 and a beta of 1.83. SunOpta Inc. has a 1-year low of $3.65 and a 1-year high of $8.11.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL - Get Free Report) TSE: SOY last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06. The business had revenue of $193.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.90 million. SunOpta had a negative net margin of 2.74% and a positive return on equity of 7.92%. Analysts expect that SunOpta Inc. will post 0.13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at SunOpta

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STKL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $10.00 price objective on shares of SunOpta in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com raised SunOpta from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th.

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.