J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

J & J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $73.76 and last traded at $74.2210, with a volume of 614511 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $74.67.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JJSF has been the topic of several recent research reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of J & J Snack Foods in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research downgraded J & J Snack Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J & J Snack Foods in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J & J Snack Foods currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $130.00.

J & J Snack Foods Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.80 and a beta of 0.34.

J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.01. J & J Snack Foods had a return on equity of 8.79% and a net margin of 3.92%.The company had revenue of $343.78 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $365.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that J & J Snack Foods Corp. will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current year.

J & J Snack Foods Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. J & J Snack Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.91%.

J & J Snack Foods announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to repurchase $50.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J & J Snack Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 485.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 1,133.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 1,450.0% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in J & J Snack Foods by 902.9% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 351 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of J & J Snack Foods by 58.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. 76.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.