J & J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) Short Interest Update

J & J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 886,411 shares, an increase of 26.4% from the November 30th total of 701,261 shares. Approximately 5.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 246,738 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 246,738 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days. Approximately 5.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

J & J Snack Foods Stock Down 0.9%

JJSF stock opened at $89.79 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $101.86. J & J Snack Foods has a twelve month low of $80.67 and a twelve month high of $158.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a PE ratio of 26.80 and a beta of 0.35.

J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 17th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $410.24 million for 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.60 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that J & J Snack Foods will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J & J Snack Foods Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. J & J Snack Foods’s payout ratio is presently 95.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on JJSF shares. Zacks Research raised shares of J & J Snack Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J & J Snack Foods in a report on Monday. Finally, Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of J & J Snack Foods from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kathleen E. Ciaramello acquired 540 shares of J & J Snack Foods stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $90.56 per share, with a total value of $48,902.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 1,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $91,737.28. The trade was a 114.16% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 21.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of J & J Snack Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,712,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,367,000 after acquiring an additional 24,175 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 6.4% during the second quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 553,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,786,000 after acquiring an additional 33,376 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 404,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,865,000 after acquiring an additional 67,028 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 380,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,211,000 after acquiring an additional 6,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 354,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,176,000 after purchasing an additional 9,820 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.04% of the company’s stock.

J & J Snack Foods Company Profile

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.