Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires New Shares in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 6,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $262,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in National Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in National Beverage by 89.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in National Beverage by 38.3% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake in National Beverage by 6,875.0% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in National Beverage by 158.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,463 shares in the last quarter. 23.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, UBS Group decreased their price target on National Beverage from $46.00 to $41.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

National Beverage Trading Up 1.0%

National Beverage stock opened at $44.88 on Friday. National Beverage Corp. has a twelve month low of $38.25 and a twelve month high of $53.48. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.55 and a beta of 0.88.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.03). National Beverage had a return on equity of 42.80% and a net margin of 15.63%. The company had revenue of $267.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $282.22 million.

Insider Transactions at National Beverage

In related news, Director Stanley Michael Sheridan sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.40, for a total value of $347,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 62,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,708,507.20. This represents a 11.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 74.80% of the company’s stock.

About National Beverage

National Beverage Corp., through its subsidiaries, develops, produces, markets, and sells a portfolio of sparkling waters, juices, energy drinks, and carbonated soft drinks primarily in the United States and Canada. The company's Power+ brand portfolio offers sparkling water products under the LaCroix, LaCroix Cúrate, and LaCroix NiCola; non-carbonated flavored water under the Clear Fruit; energy drink and shots under the Rip It; juice and juice-based products under Everfresh, Everfresh Premier Varietals, and Mr.