Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP) Short Interest Update

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 220,400 shares, an increase of 15.5% from the July 15th total of 190,800 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 285,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mary Ann Cloyd sold 1,689 shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.20, for a total transaction of $45,940.80. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $603,513.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Mary Ann Cloyd sold 1,689 shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.20, for a total value of $45,940.80. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $603,513.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Marissa R. Tenazas purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $21.85 per share, for a total transaction of $43,700.00. Following the purchase, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,059.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 30.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 197.6% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,119 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 743 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 232.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,121 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce during the first quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 64.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce stock traded up $0.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $27.57. 240,576 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 246,910. The stock has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -54.06 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 2.16. Fresh Del Monte Produce has a twelve month low of $21.23 and a twelve month high of $27.89. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.18.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.46. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a positive return on equity of 4.88% and a negative net margin of 0.43%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -196.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Company Profile

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc, through its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and distributes fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Fresh and Value-Added Products, Banana, and Other Products and Services.