Short Interest in John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBSS) Drops By 21.1%

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBSS) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 153,925 shares, a decline of 21.1% from the December 15th total of 195,035 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 51,497 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 51,497 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on JBSS shares. BWS Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $109.00 price objective on shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised John B. Sanfilippo & Son from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John B. Sanfilippo & Son

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 260.9% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 148,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,416,000 after purchasing an additional 107,637 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 969,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,323,000 after purchasing an additional 51,658 shares during the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its position in John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 450.0% during the third quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 55,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,535,000 after purchasing an additional 45,000 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its position in John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 96.3% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 80,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,070,000 after purchasing an additional 39,336 shares during the period. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in John B. Sanfilippo & Son by 28.8% during the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 168,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,658,000 after purchasing an additional 37,720 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.64% of the company’s stock.

John B. Sanfilippo & Son Stock Down 1.3%

JBSS stock traded down $0.99 during trading on Friday, reaching $73.49. The stock had a trading volume of 66,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 42,609. John B. Sanfilippo & Son has a 1-year low of $58.47 and a 1-year high of $91.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $71.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.85. 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 company has a market capitalization of $855.72 million, a P/E ratio of 13.08 and a beta of 0.36.

John B. Sanfilippo & Son (NASDAQ:JBSS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.31. John B. Sanfilippo & Son had a return on equity of 18.92% and a net margin of 5.84%.The firm had revenue of $298.68 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $273.93 million.

John B. Sanfilippo & Son Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. John B. Sanfilippo & Son’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.01%.

John B. Sanfilippo & Son Company Profile

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.