National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $38.26 and last traded at $38.2560, with a volume of 139,204 shares. The stock had previously closed at $36.10.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group set a $31.00 target price on National Beverage and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded National Beverage from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Beverage presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $31.00.

National Beverage Stock Up 4.3%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.70. The company has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24 and a beta of 0.82.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 10th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $330.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $342.08 million. National Beverage had a return on equity of 32.61% and a net margin of 14.81%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of National Beverage by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in National Beverage by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 25,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $792,000 after acquiring an additional 557 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of National Beverage by 958.8% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 815 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of National Beverage by 175.6% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,367 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of National Beverage by 40.4% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. 23.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About National Beverage

National Beverage Corp. is a beverage company that develops, produces and distributes a portfolio of carbonated soft drinks, flavored sparkling waters, energy drinks, juices and other nonalcoholic beverages. The company is best known for LaCroix sparkling water and also markets brands including Shasta, Faygo, Rip It, Everfresh, Mr. Pure and Tahitian Treat.

National Beverage serves consumers primarily in the United States through grocery stores, mass merchandisers, convenience stores, food-service outlets and other retail channels.