John B. Sanfilippo & Son (NASDAQ:JBSS) Sets New 52-Week High After Strong Earnings

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBSS) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $77.83 and last traded at $78.6550, with a volume of 5485 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.56.

The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.17. John B. Sanfilippo & Son had a net margin of 6.15% and a return on equity of 19.73%. The firm had revenue of $314.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $313.43 million.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on JBSS shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded John B. Sanfilippo & Son from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. BWS Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $109.00 price target on shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Zacks Research cut shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $109.00.

Institutional Trading of John B. Sanfilippo & Son

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $454,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 6.7% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 3,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 30.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 893 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $378,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 4,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.64% of the company’s stock.

John B. Sanfilippo & Son Trading Up 7.1%

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $941.68 million, a PE ratio of 13.51 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

About John B. Sanfilippo & Son

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc is a family‐held processor and marketer of tree nuts and snack nut products. Headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, the company operates manufacturing facilities, processing plants and sales offices across the United States and abroad. It supplies a broad range of channels, including retail, foodservice, industrial and private‐label customers.

The company’s product portfolio spans in‐shell and shelled pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios and peanuts, as well as mixed‐nut blends, chocolate‐covered treats, granolas and specialty snack items.