Legal & General Group Plc Takes $1.61 Million Position in National Beverage Corp. $FIZZ

Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 51,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,606,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in FIZZ. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in National Beverage in the first quarter valued at about $1,578,000. Algert Global LLC raised its position in shares of National Beverage by 54.5% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 273,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,544,000 after purchasing an additional 96,550 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of National Beverage during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,597,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of National Beverage in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $133,087,000. Institutional investors own 23.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on FIZZ shares. Weiss Ratings raised National Beverage from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $32.00 price target (down from $33.00) on shares of National Beverage in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Beverage presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $32.00.

National Beverage Price Performance

NASDAQ FIZZ opened at $32.24 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $31.88 and its 200-day moving average is $33.99. The company has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45 and a beta of 0.78. National Beverage Corp. has a 12-month low of $30.01 and a 12-month high of $41.56.

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

National Beverage Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Monday, July 13th were given a $3.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 13th.

About National Beverage

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.