Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 2,205 Shares of J&J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of J&J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF - Free Report) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,797 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,205 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.39% of J&J Snack Foods worth $11,758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of J&J Snack Foods by 39,000.0% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 391 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in J&J Snack Foods during the 4th quarter worth $74,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in J&J Snack Foods by 32.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 603 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of J&J Snack Foods by 48.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 627 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in shares of J&J Snack Foods during the third quarter worth $204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.04% of the company's stock.

J&J Snack Foods Price Performance

Shares of J&J Snack Foods stock traded up $0.70 on Monday, hitting $132.14. 91,822 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 149,198. J&J Snack Foods Corp. has a one year low of $116.60 and a one year high of $180.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a PE ratio of 30.43 and a beta of 0.64. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $139.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $158.34.

J&J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.62 by ($0.29). J&J Snack Foods had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 9.84%. On average, analysts forecast that J&J Snack Foods Corp. will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J&J Snack Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. J&J Snack Foods's dividend payout ratio is currently 71.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on JJSF shares. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of J&J Snack Foods in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of J&J Snack Foods from $175.00 to $135.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th.

J&J Snack Foods Company Profile

J&J Snack Foods Corp. engages in the manufacturing of nutritional snack foods and distribution of frozen beverages to the food service and retail supermarket industries. It operates through the following segments: Food Service, Retail Supermarkets, and Frozen Beverages. The Food Service segment includes soft pretzels, frozen novelties, churros, handheld products, and baked goods.