Vanguard Group Inc. Has $168.18 Million Position in Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. $FDP

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. (NYSE:FDP) by 4.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,843,738 shares of the company’s stock after selling 242,263 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 10.14% of Fresh Del Monte Produce worth $168,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 390.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 766 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 238.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 34.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 34.2% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,543 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 902 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corton Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Fresh Del Monte Produce in the second quarter valued at $203,000. 64.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FDP. Wall Street Zen upgraded Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:FDP opened at $43.04 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. has a one year low of $29.00 and a one year high of $43.58. The company has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of 22.89 and a beta of 0.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $38.44 and a 200-day moving average of $36.66.

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

Fresh Del Monte Produce Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fresh Del Monte Produce

In related news, CEO Ghazaleh Mohammad Abu sold 28,558 shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.42, for a total transaction of $1,097,198.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,962,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $190,648,646.08. This trade represents a 0.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 30.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Fresh Del Monte Produce 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.