Foster & Motley Inc. Takes $772,000 Position in Dole PLC $DOLE

Foster & Motley Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Dole PLC (NYSE:DOLE) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 56,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $772,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vident Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Dole by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 42,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $632,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Dole by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 16,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 753 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Dole by 13.2% in the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 6,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Dole by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 5,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amiral Gestion increased its holdings in shares of Dole by 5.5% in the first quarter. Amiral Gestion now owns 19,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter.

Dole Stock Performance

Shares of Dole stock opened at $13.30 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Dole PLC has a 52 week low of $12.52 and a 52 week high of $16.57. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $13.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.63.

Dole (NYSE:DOLE) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. Dole had a return on equity of 7.06% and a net margin of 0.63%.The business’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Dole PLC will post 1.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dole Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.085 dividend. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. Dole’s payout ratio is presently 54.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Dole from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Dole from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $14.00 price target on Dole in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Dole currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.00.

Dole Company Profile

Dole plc is a global producer, marketer and distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables. The company’s product range includes bananas, pineapples, berries, grapes, salads and a variety of other fresh and packaged produce, sold under the Dole brand and through private-label arrangements. Dole’s operations span the full fresh-produce value chain, from farming and sourcing to packing, ripening, cold‑chain logistics and wholesale and retail distribution, supporting both retail grocery and foodservice customers.

The company traces its commercial heritage to the early 20th century Hawaiian pineapple business founded by James Dole and has evolved through subsequent corporate restructurings and combinations.