Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Village Farms International (NASDAQ:VFF)

Village Farms International, Inc. (NASDAQ:VFF) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 6,628 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 109% compared to the typical volume of 3,175 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VFF shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Village Farms International in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Village Farms International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Village Farms International from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Village Farms International Trading Up 3.6%

VFF traded up $0.15 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $4.29. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,512,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,591,646. Village Farms International has a twelve month low of $0.45 and a twelve month high of $4.75. The stock has a market cap of $495.47 million, a PE ratio of 23.96 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $3.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.17.

Village Farms International (NASDAQ:VFF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by $0.05. Village Farms International had a return on equity of 1.98% and a net margin of 7.47%.The business had revenue of $66.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.63 million. On average, analysts expect that Village Farms International will post -0.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Village Farms International

In other news, insider Orville Bovenschen sold 61,586 shares of Village Farms International stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.30, for a total value of $203,233.80. Following the sale, the insider owned 50,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $165,000. The trade was a 55.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Carolyn Hauger sold 22,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.75, for a total value of $82,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $108,825. This trade represents a 43.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 148,786 shares of company stock valued at $541,318. Corporate insiders own 12.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AdvisorShares Investments LLC increased its stake in Village Farms International by 77.0% during the third quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 5,963,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,667,000 after acquiring an additional 2,595,154 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in Village Farms International by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,778,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,056,000 after purchasing an additional 87,726 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in Village Farms International by 187.2% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,724,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,398,000 after buying an additional 1,124,085 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Village Farms International by 2,050.2% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,005,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,146,000 after buying an additional 958,511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Village Farms International by 5.1% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 737,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $446,000 after buying an additional 35,913 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.15% of the company’s stock.

Village Farms International Company Profile

Village Farms International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and sells greenhouse-grown tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers in North America. It operates through four segments: Produce, Cannabis-Canada, Cannabis-U.S., and Energy. The company also produces and supplies cannabis products to other licensed providers and provincial governments in Canada and internationally; develops and sells cannabinoid-based health and wellness products, including ingestible, edibles, and topical applications; and produces power.