J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

JJSF has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J & J Snack Foods in a report on Monday, December 29th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of J & J Snack Foods in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J & J Snack Foods currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $132.50.

J & J Snack Foods Price Performance

JJSF opened at $98.44 on Monday. J & J Snack Foods has a 12 month low of $80.67 and a 12 month high of $146.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.39 and a beta of 0.34. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $91.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.68.

J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 17th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $410.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $424.08 million. J & J Snack Foods had a net margin of 4.14% and a return on equity of 8.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.60 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that J & J Snack Foods will post 4.75 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kathleen E. Ciaramello acquired 540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $90.56 per share, for a total transaction of $48,902.40. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,013 shares in the company, valued at $91,737.28. This trade represents a 114.16% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 20.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new stake in J & J Snack Foods in the fourth quarter valued at $3,647,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in J & J Snack Foods by 323.2% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 1,771 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in J & J Snack Foods by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,739,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,451,000 after buying an additional 26,975 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 18,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,703,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 776.8% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 48,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,415,000 after acquiring an additional 43,283 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.04% of the company’s stock.

About J & J Snack Foods

J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ: JJSF) is a U.S.-based manufacturer and distributor of branded snack foods and frozen beverages. Headquartered in Pennsauken, New Jersey, the company develops, produces and markets a broad array of proprietary and licensed products for retail, concession and foodservice customers. Its offerings span soft pretzels, frozen novelties, real Italian ice, churros and packaged beverages under well-known names such as ICEE, SuperPretzel, Luigi’s and ChurroMan.

Founded in 1971 by Gerald B.