21,620 Shares in National Beverage Corp. $FIZZ Acquired by Man Group plc

Man Group plc purchased a new stake in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 21,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $675,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of National Beverage during the second quarter valued at $133,087,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of National Beverage by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,784,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,809,000 after purchasing an additional 41,139 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in National Beverage by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,582,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,265,000 after purchasing an additional 138,433 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in National Beverage by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 902,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,790,000 after purchasing an additional 28,036 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in National Beverage by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 754,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,061,000 after buying an additional 4,288 shares in the last quarter. 23.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FIZZ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $33.00 price objective (down from $35.00) on shares of National Beverage in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings raised National Beverage from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Beverage has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $33.00.

National Beverage Stock Performance

NASDAQ FIZZ opened at $32.46 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $31.89 and a 200-day moving average of $34.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 0.78. National Beverage Corp. has a 52 week low of $30.01 and a 52 week high of $41.76.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 1st. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $297.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $294.81 million. National Beverage had a net margin of 15.56% and a return on equity of 32.20%.

National Beverage Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 13th were given a dividend of $3.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 13th.

National Beverage Profile

National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: FIZZ) is a U.S.-based beverage company specializing in the development, marketing and production of nonalcoholic refreshment products. The company’s portfolio includes a range of sparkling waters, soft drinks and energy beverages designed for a variety of consumer tastes and dietary preferences. Through in-house bottling operations and strategic partnerships with co-packers, National Beverage manages production from flavor formulation to final packaging and distribution.

Founded in 1985, National Beverage has broadened its product lineup over the decades through both organic brand introductions and selective acquisitions.