Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) SVP Sells $261,073.62 in Stock

Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. (NYSE:FDP) SVP Gianpaolo Renino sold 6,297 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.46, for a total value of $261,073.62. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $132,589.08. The trade was a 66.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE FDP traded down $0.30 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $41.62. The stock had a trading volume of 259,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 239,842. The company has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 22.14 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $39.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.89. Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.00 and a twelve month high of $43.58.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.42. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 7.63%. The company had revenue of $968.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.26 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.83%.

Institutional Trading of Fresh Del Monte Produce

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 26.1% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 18,832 shares of the company’s stock worth $670,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 9,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 489 shares during the last quarter. Outfitters Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Outfitters Financial LLC now owns 33,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,181,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 71,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,546,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. 64.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on FDP. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Fresh Del Monte Produce presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Company Profile

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables worldwide. The company offers a wide range of products including bananas, pineapples, melons, grapes and avocados, along with value-added items such as fruit salads, vegetable trays and snack packs under the Del Monte® brand.

Founded in 1989 as a spin-off from Del Monte, Fresh Del Monte has developed a global supply chain that spans production farms, ripening facilities and packaging centers across Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.