John B. Sanfilippo & Son (NASDAQ:JBSS) Hits New 52-Week High on Strong Earnings

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBSS) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $77.83 and last traded at $78.6550, with a volume of 5485 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $75.56.

The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $314.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $313.43 million. John B. Sanfilippo & Son had a return on equity of 18.92% and a net margin of 5.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JBSS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BWS Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $109.00 target price on shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised John B. Sanfilippo & Son from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $109.00.

Institutional Trading of John B. Sanfilippo & Son

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son during the 4th quarter worth $283,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 65.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 15.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 35,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,308,000 after purchasing an additional 4,685 shares during the period. PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new stake in John B. Sanfilippo & Son during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in John B. Sanfilippo & Son during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.64% of the company’s stock.

John B. Sanfilippo & Son Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.35. The stock has a market cap of $937.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.32 and a beta of 0.36.

About John B. Sanfilippo & Son

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc is a family‐held processor and marketer of tree nuts and snack nut products. Headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, the company operates manufacturing facilities, processing plants and sales offices across the United States and abroad. It supplies a broad range of channels, including retail, foodservice, industrial and private‐label customers.

The company’s product portfolio spans in‐shell and shelled pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios and peanuts, as well as mixed‐nut blends, chocolate‐covered treats, granolas and specialty snack items.