Bailard Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP)

Bailard Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP) by 100.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,800 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,900 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce were worth $724,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 104,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,465,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the period. Waterfront Wealth Inc. grew its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 22,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $750,000 after buying an additional 526 shares in the last quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 period. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 65.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.83% of the company’s stock.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Stock Down 1.3 %

NYSE:FDP opened at $30.09 on Tuesday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $31.31 and a 200 day moving average of $31.08. The firm has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a PE ratio of 91.18 and a beta of 0.39.

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

Fresh Del Monte Produce announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, February 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 10.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase 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 3.99%. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.40%.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Company 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.