National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) Short Interest Up 6.1% in September

National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) was the target of a large increase in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 2,770,000 shares, an increase of 6.1% from the September 15th total of 2,610,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 178,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 15.5 days. Approximately 12.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

National Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FIZZ traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $46.75. 112,323 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 174,674. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.37 billion, a PE ratio of 24.46 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s 50 day moving average is $45.58 and its 200 day moving average is $47.01. National Beverage has a one year low of $42.85 and a one year high of $53.58.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 5th. The company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.01. National Beverage had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 39.91%. The firm had revenue of $329.47 million during the quarter.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Beverage

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in National Beverage by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,751,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,818,000 after buying an additional 49,441 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of National Beverage by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,145,227 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,680,000 after acquiring an additional 40,488 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of National Beverage by 36.1% during the 2nd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 115,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,898,000 after purchasing an additional 30,500 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in National Beverage by 307.6% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 35,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,828,000 after purchasing an additional 26,920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in National Beverage by 13.7% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 221,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,337,000 after purchasing an additional 26,729 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 23.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, UBS Group cut their price objective on National Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th.

About National Beverage

National Beverage Corp., through its subsidiaries, develops, produces, markets, and sells a portfolio of sparkling waters, juices, energy drinks, and carbonated soft drinks primarily in the United States and Canada. The company's Power+ brand portfolio offers sparkling water products under the LaCroix, LaCroix Cúrate, and LaCroix NiCola; non-carbonated flavored water under the Clear Fruit; energy drink and shots under the Rip It; juice and juice-based products under Everfresh, Everfresh Premier Varietals, and Mr.