DA Davidson Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Marzetti (NASDAQ:MZTI) Stock Price

Marzetti (NASDAQ:MZTI) had its price target cut by DA Davidson from $168.00 to $130.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. DA Davidson’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 14.17% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on MZTI. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of Marzetti in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Marzetti in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marzetti currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $135.00.

Marzetti Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MZTI traded down $3.48 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $113.87. 109,677 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 300,595. The firm has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.83 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $111.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $127.35. Marzetti has a 1-year low of $104.28 and a 1-year high of $186.95.

Marzetti (NASDAQ:MZTI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 25th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter. Marzetti had a net margin of 9.06% and a return on equity of 18.12%. The firm had revenue of $465.03 million for the quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marzetti

In related news, insider Luis Viso sold 1,221 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.31, for a total transaction of $133,467.51. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $210,312.44. This trade represents a 38.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 29.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marzetti

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MZTI. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marzetti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,196,000. Wesbanco Bank Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marzetti in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,736,000. F m Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Marzetti in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,417,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Marzetti by 3,214.6% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 23,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,320,000 after acquiring an additional 23,274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marzetti during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,839,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.44% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Marzetti

Here are the key news stories impacting Marzetti this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fourth-quarter adjusted earnings increased 9%, while margin expansion helped offset lower revenue. Management also highlighted new product launches and expects gross margin to improve by approximately 100 basis points in fiscal 2027. MZTI Q2 deep dive: Margin expansion and new product launches offset sales decline
• Positive Sentiment: Marzetti reported quarterly earnings of $1.46 per share on $465.03 million in revenue, with a 9.06% net margin and 18.12% return on equity. The Marzetti Company Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year Results
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens reaffirmed its “equal weight” rating but set a $140 price target, implying roughly 22% potential upside from recent levels. Stephens rating update
• Positive Sentiment: Improved margins, dividend growth and reported institutional buying are supporting the company’s profile as a Dividend King and helped reinforce a potential recovery narrative. Marzetti Stock Confirms Reversal on Earnings Strength, Dividend Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Management expects fiscal 2027 gross-margin gains, but warned that a Cyclospora-related disruption could create a 250-basis-point headwind in the first quarter. Marzetti expects 100 bps gross margin growth in fiscal 2027
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter consolidated sales declined 2.2% to $465.0 million and came in below analyst expectations. Excluding the prior-year temporary Winland Foods supply agreement, however, sales increased, limiting the severity of the comparison. Marzetti reports sales below analyst estimates

Marzetti Company Profile

Lancaster Colony Corporation engages in the manufacturing and marketing of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels in the United States. It operates in two segments, Retail and Foodservice. The company offers frozen garlic bread under the New York BRAND Bakery; frozen Parkerhouse style yeast and dinner rolls under the Sister Schubert's brand; salad dressings under the Marzetti, Simply Dressed, Cardini's, and Girard's brands; vegetable and fruit dips under the Marzetti brand; croutons and salad toppings under the New York BRAND Bakery, Chatham Village, and Marzetti brands; and frozen pasta under the Marzetti Frozen Pasta brand.