Hsbc Holdings PLC Lowers Stock Position in SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL)

Hsbc Holdings PLC cut its stake in shares of SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) by 21.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,659 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,072 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in SunOpta were worth $168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in STKL. D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new stake in SunOpta in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Mutual Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of SunOpta during the fourth quarter worth $92,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of SunOpta by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 14,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 1,923 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC purchased a new position in SunOpta during the 4th quarter valued at about $116,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in SunOpta by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 18,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 7,097 shares during the period. 85.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of SunOpta from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other SunOpta 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 28,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,758. This represents a 23.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

SunOpta Trading Up 3.9%

NASDAQ:STKL opened at $6.06 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $712.30 million, a PE ratio of -33.66 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $4.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.44. SunOpta Inc. has a 12-month low of $3.65 and a 12-month high of $8.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSE:SOY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $201.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $195.09 million. SunOpta had a positive return on equity of 7.92% and a negative net margin of 2.74%. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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.