River Road Asset Management LLC Invests $31.86 Million in The Simply Good Foods Company $SMPL

River Road Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Simply Good Foods Company (NASDAQ:SMPL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,586,490 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $31,857,000. River Road Asset Management LLC owned approximately 1.71% of Simply Good Foods at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SMPL. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Simply Good Foods by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 71,023 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,448,000 after purchasing an additional 5,893 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Simply Good Foods by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 19,018 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Simply Good Foods by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 54,819 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,891,000 after buying an additional 2,850 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in shares of Simply Good Foods in the 1st quarter valued at about $264,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Simply Good Foods by 10.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 224,229 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,734,000 after buying an additional 21,696 shares in the last quarter. 88.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Simply Good Foods

In related news, Director James M. Kilts bought 80,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.39 per share, with a total value of $991,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 172,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,141,661.06. This represents a 86.16% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Clayton C. Daley, Jr. purchased 10,000 shares of Simply Good Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $11.78 per share, with a total value of $117,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 111,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,316,332.54. The trade was a 9.83% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 8.76% of the company’s stock.

Simply Good Foods Price Performance

SMPL stock opened at $12.63 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $12.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.71. The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.61 and a beta of 0.17. The Simply Good Foods Company has a fifty-two week low of $10.21 and a fifty-two week high of $34.19. The company has a quick ratio of 2.87, a current ratio of 5.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Simply Good Foods (NASDAQ:SMPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 9th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.05. Simply Good Foods had a positive return on equity of 9.72% and a negative net margin of 7.46%.The firm had revenue of $326.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.08 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Simply Good Foods Company will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Simply Good Foods from $24.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Simply Good Foods from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective (down from $24.00) on shares of Simply Good Foods in a research report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Simply Good Foods from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Simply Good Foods from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $17.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.80.

Simply Good Foods Company Profile

Simply Good Foods Co (NASDAQ: SMPL) is a North American consumer packaged foods company specializing in better-for-you nutrition products. The company’s portfolio centers on two well-established brands, Atkins and Quest, which offer a range of low-carbohydrate, high-protein bars, powders, shakes, and snacks. Simply Good Foods aims to support consumers’ health and wellness goals by delivering convenient, nutrient-dense options without added sugars or artificial sweeteners.

Under the Atkins brand, the company produces meal replacements, snack bars, and ready-to-drink shakes designed for low-carb dieters.