Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.42 EPS

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

Here are the key takeaways from Fresh Del Monte Produce’s conference call:

• Bankruptcy-approved purchase of select Del Monte Foods assets for $285 million plus assumed liabilities is expected to close before the end of Q1 (subject to HSR/other conditions); management plans a “light-touch” integration to reunify the Del Monte brand and run the acquired food business as a dedicated unit.
• Financial position strengthened — FY2025 adjusted EBITDA $300 million, net cash from operations $245 million, long‑term debt $173 million and adjusted leverage below 1x — which management says supports the pending acquisition and ongoing investments.
• 2026 outlook (excludes Del Monte Foods and the divested Mann Packing) calls for net sales growth of 1%–2%, segment gross margin targets (fresh 12%–14%, bananas 5%–6%, other 12%–13%), SG&A of $210M–$215M and operating cash flow of $220M–$230M, while Q1 may face weather-related distribution headwinds.
• Banana business under pressure from higher production/procurement and distribution costs, adverse weather and crop disease (including Black Sigatoka), plus weaker Asia volumes, which drove banana gross margin down to about 4.8% for the year.
• Board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share (annualized $1.20, ~3% yield) and the company repurchased 866,000 shares for $30 million in 2025, with $120 million remaining under the repurchase authorization.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Trading Down 2.2%

Fresh Del Monte Produce stock traded down $0.92 during trading on Friday, reaching $41.43. The company had a trading volume of 13,202 shares, compared to its average volume of 226,115. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 2.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09 and a beta of 0.30. Fresh Del Monte Produce has a 12-month low of $26.50 and a 12-month high of $42.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $37.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.37.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Ghazaleh Mohammad Abu sold 28,558 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.42, for a total transaction of $1,097,198.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,962,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $190,648,646.08. This represents a 0.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 31.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fresh Del Monte Produce

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 9,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce in the fourth quarter valued at $256,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce in the fourth quarter valued at $558,000. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Fresh Del Monte Produce during the 4th quarter valued at $161,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 71,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,552,000 after acquiring an additional 14,335 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on FDP shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

About Fresh Del Monte Produce

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.