Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) SVP Effie Silva Sells 285 Shares

Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. (NYSE:FDP) SVP Effie Silva sold 285 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.50, for a total transaction of $12,112.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $473,152.50. This trade represents a 2.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE FDP traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $42.63. The company had a trading volume of 228,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 239,148. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $38.57 and its 200 day moving average is $36.71. 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 fifty-two week low of $29.00 and a fifty-two week high of $43.58. The company has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.67 and a beta of 0.28.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.42. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a return on equity of 7.63% and a net margin of 2.10%.The company had revenue of $968.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.26 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year.

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 given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on FDP. 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fresh Del Monte Produce

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 41.1% during the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,915,156 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,494,000 after purchasing an additional 557,638 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,741,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,049,000 after buying an additional 10,246 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 9.5% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,359,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,197,000 after buying an additional 117,567 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,336,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,630,000 after buying an additional 9,933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 19.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 931,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,347,000 after buying an additional 150,092 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.83% of the company’s stock.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Company 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.