Short Interest in Limoneira (NASDAQ:LMNR) Drops By 20.1%

Limoneira (NASDAQ:LMNR) was the target of a large decline in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 221,000 shares, a decline of 20.1% from the December 31st total of 276,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 54,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Limoneira by 77.5% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 1,127 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Limoneira by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,486 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Limoneira during the 3rd quarter worth about $153,000. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. bought a new position in Limoneira during the 3rd quarter worth about $206,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Limoneira by 27.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 9,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.35% of the company’s stock.

Limoneira Trading Down 2.4 %

NASDAQ:LMNR traded down $0.56 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $22.50. 44,904 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 62,614. The company’s 50 day moving average is $24.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.99. Limoneira has a twelve month low of $17.37 and a twelve month high of $29.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $406.80 million, a P/E ratio of 59.21 and a beta of 0.52.

Limoneira Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 30th were paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 30th. Limoneira’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised Limoneira from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th.

About Limoneira

Limoneira Company operates as an agribusiness and real estate development company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three divisions: Agribusiness, Rental Operations, and Real Estate Development. It grows, processes, packs, markets, and sells lemons. The company also grows avocado, oranges, and specialty citrus and other crops, including Moro blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges, Valencia oranges, Minneola tangelos, Star Ruby grapefruit, pummelos, and wine grapes.