J & J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) Short Interest Down 18.9% in December

J & J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 719,265 shares, a decline of 18.9% from the December 15th total of 886,411 shares. Currently, 4.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 200,229 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days. Based on an average daily volume of 200,229 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days. Currently, 4.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kathleen E. Ciaramello acquired 540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $90.56 per share, for a total transaction of $48,902.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 1,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $91,737.28. This trade represents a 114.16% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J & J Snack Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JJSF. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in J & J Snack Foods by 897.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 439 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 902.9% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 243.5% during the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in shares of J & J Snack Foods during the second quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 198.9% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.04% of the company’s stock.

J & J Snack Foods Stock Up 1.4%

JJSF stock opened at $98.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.68. J & J Snack Foods has a twelve month low of $80.67 and a twelve month high of $146.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of 29.39 and a beta of 0.34.

J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 17th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $410.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $424.08 million. J & J Snack Foods had a net margin of 4.14% and a return on equity of 8.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. J & J Snack Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JJSF has been the subject of several recent research reports. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of J & J Snack Foods in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of J & J Snack Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J & J Snack Foods in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, J & J Snack Foods currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.50.

About J & J Snack Foods

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.