D.A. Davidson & CO. Sells 9,986 Shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP)

D.A. Davidson & CO. decreased its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP) by 50.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,764 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,986 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce were worth $324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 104,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,465,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the last quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 75.0% during the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 65.0% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 1,005 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 60,156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,998,000 after buying an additional 2,466 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.83% of the company’s stock.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Trading Down 1.0 %

Fresh Del Monte Produce stock opened at $29.90 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.61 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. has a 1 year low of $21.23 and a 1 year high of $35.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $31.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.99.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a net margin of 0.36% and a return on equity of 5.91%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.25 EPS.

Fresh Del Monte Produce declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, February 24th that allows the company to repurchase $150.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 10.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Fresh Del Monte Produce’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.01%. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 303.03%.

Fresh Del Monte Produce 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.