Willis Investment Counsel Decreases Holdings in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ)

Willis Investment Counsel trimmed its position in National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) by 56.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,516 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,581 shares during the quarter. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in National Beverage were worth $315,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 80.3% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 10,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 2.8% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 10,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its holdings in National Beverage by 2.5% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 12,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $657,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. 23.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Beverage from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 11th.

National Beverage Stock Down 3.6 %

Shares of FIZZ stock traded down $1.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $46.64. 417,410 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 162,252. National Beverage Corp. has a 12 month low of $38.40 and a 12 month high of $55.12. The company has a market cap of $4.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.76 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $51.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.45.

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 7th. The company reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53. National Beverage had a net margin of 13.26% and a return on equity of 43.78%. The firm had revenue of $324.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $327.66 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis.

National Beverage Profile

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.