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J&J Snack Foods Acquires Bakery Hill & Valley in Illinois
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J&J Snack Foods Corp. (JJSF - Free Report) recently took over a premium bakery in Illinois, Hill & Valley Inc. However, the financial terms of the transaction have been kept under wraps.
The shares advanced 1.36% to $134.61 following the news release on Jan 3.
Founded in 1987 as Rock Island Baking Co. and later named as Hill & Valley, this company makes a variety of pre-baked cakes, cookies, pies, muffins and other desserts for retail in-store bakeries.
Located in Rock Island, Hill & Valley is a leading brand of sugar-free and no sugar added pre-baked in-store bakery items. The bakery is also part of numerous strategic private labeling partnerships with retailers in the U.S.
Hill & Valley generates annual sales of over $45 million. The addition of Hill & Valley “rounds out our in-store bakery offerings by expanding our capabilities and customer base, and provides us a newly constructed facility that has ample capacity for growth and a nimble production process”, said Jerry Law, senior vice-president at J&J.
U.S.-based J&J makes nutritional snack foods and serves the food service and retail supermarket industries in the nation. Its brand names include SUPERPRETZEL, BAVARIAN BAKERY, LUIGI'S & WHOLE FRUIT.
Consumer staples companies are shifting focus to make healthier and nutritious products in view of increasing health consciousness, rising obesity concerns and growing regulatory pressure. Hence, the acquisition of Hill & Valley seems to be strategic in this regard. In the fourth quarter, J&J witnessed higher sales of its new products, especially Oreo churro and WHOLE FRUIT Organic Juice tubes.
We note that shares of J&J have outperformed the Zacks categorized Food-Miscellaneous/Diversified industry in the last one year. The company’s stock grew 19.4%, whereas the broader industry advanced 9.7% in the said period. Notably, in the last 6-month period, the company’s shares registered 13.6% growth, way better than the 6% decline of the broader industry.
Zacks Rank & Key Picks
J&J currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors can consider better-ranked stocks in the same space that include B&G Foods, Inc. (BGS - Free Report) , Tate & Lyle PLC (TATYY - Free Report) and Lancaster Colony Corp. (LANC - Free Report) .
The company is expected to witness 42.2% EPS growth this year.
Tate & Lyle, also a Zacks Rank #1 stock, is expected to see EPS growth of 12% in the current year.
Lancaster Colony has an impressive earnings surprise history, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 8.59%. It holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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J&J Snack Foods Acquires Bakery Hill & Valley in Illinois
J&J Snack Foods Corp. (JJSF - Free Report) recently took over a premium bakery in Illinois, Hill & Valley Inc. However, the financial terms of the transaction have been kept under wraps.
The shares advanced 1.36% to $134.61 following the news release on Jan 3.
Founded in 1987 as Rock Island Baking Co. and later named as Hill & Valley, this company makes a variety of pre-baked cakes, cookies, pies, muffins and other desserts for retail in-store bakeries.
Located in Rock Island, Hill & Valley is a leading brand of sugar-free and no sugar added pre-baked in-store bakery items. The bakery is also part of numerous strategic private labeling partnerships with retailers in the U.S.
Hill & Valley generates annual sales of over $45 million. The addition of Hill & Valley “rounds out our in-store bakery offerings by expanding our capabilities and customer base, and provides us a newly constructed facility that has ample capacity for growth and a nimble production process”, said Jerry Law, senior vice-president at J&J.
U.S.-based J&J makes nutritional snack foods and serves the food service and retail supermarket industries in the nation. Its brand names include SUPERPRETZEL, BAVARIAN BAKERY, LUIGI'S & WHOLE FRUIT.
Consumer staples companies are shifting focus to make healthier and nutritious products in view of increasing health consciousness, rising obesity concerns and growing regulatory pressure. Hence, the acquisition of Hill & Valley seems to be strategic in this regard. In the fourth quarter, J&J witnessed higher sales of its new products, especially Oreo churro and WHOLE FRUIT Organic Juice tubes.
We note that shares of J&J have outperformed the Zacks categorized Food-Miscellaneous/Diversified industry in the last one year. The company’s stock grew 19.4%, whereas the broader industry advanced 9.7% in the said period. Notably, in the last 6-month period, the company’s shares registered 13.6% growth, way better than the 6% decline of the broader industry.
Zacks Rank & Key Picks
J&J currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors can consider better-ranked stocks in the same space that include B&G Foods, Inc. (BGS - Free Report) , Tate & Lyle PLC (TATYY - Free Report) and Lancaster Colony Corp. (LANC - Free Report) .
B&G Foods sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The company is expected to witness 42.2% EPS growth this year.
Tate & Lyle, also a Zacks Rank #1 stock, is expected to see EPS growth of 12% in the current year.
Lancaster Colony has an impressive earnings surprise history, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 8.59%. It holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
"Zacks’ Best Private Investment Ideas
In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time?
Our experts cover all kinds of trades… from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private trades >>"