Mohammed Abbas Sells 3,458 Shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) Stock

Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. (NYSE:FDP) COO Mohammed Abbas sold 3,458 shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.28, for a total transaction of $146,204.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 59,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,533,840.40. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Mohammed Abbas also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 3rd, Mohammed Abbas sold 1,580 shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.50, for a total value of $67,150.00.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Price Performance

FDP stock opened at $42.57 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.64 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.00 and a 52-week high of $43.58. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $38.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.84.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last released 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. The firm had revenue of $968.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a return on equity of 7.63% and a net margin of 2.10%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.26 earnings per share.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. 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 is 63.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy”.

Key Headlines Impacting Fresh Del Monte Produce

Here are the key news stories impacting Fresh Del Monte Produce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades have lifted sentiment — WallStreetZen and Weiss Ratings moved FDP toward “buy,” which can attract buyer interest and support the share price. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying reported (several asset managers increased or established positions), which supports medium?term demand/liquidity for the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed: EPS beat comfortably ($0.70 vs. $0.28 est.), which is positive for earnings momentum, but revenue missed (~$968.2M vs. ~$1.01B), leaving top?line growth questions. Watch guidance and next quarter revenue trends. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative coverage (Fresh Del Monte vs. Pilgrim’s Pride) may shift valuation conversations among sector investors but is not an immediate company?specific catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling across March 3–4: multiple senior executives (COO, CFO and several SVPs) sold shares in closely timed Form 4 filings. The concentrated nature and size of sales likely created intraday selling pressure and can spook short?term traders. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock recently went ex?dividend ($0.30 quarterly, $1.20 annualized, ~2.8–2.9% yield); ex?dividend and record/ex dates commonly trigger short?term selling as some holders rotate or capture the payout. Read More.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Navellier & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce during the third quarter worth approximately $2,864,000. Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce in the third quarter valued at $836,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Fresh Del Monte Produce during the 2nd quarter valued at $261,000. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in Fresh Del Monte Produce during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,263,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 148.3% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,439,958 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,683,000 after acquiring an additional 859,940 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.83% of the company’s stock.

About Fresh Del Monte Produce

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.