Monica Vicente Sells 1,260 Shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) Stock

Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. (NYSE:FDP) CFO Monica Vicente sold 1,260 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.28, for a total transaction of $53,272.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $897,477.56. This trade represents a 5.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Monica Vicente also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 3rd, Monica Vicente sold 349 shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.50, for a total value of $14,832.50.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Stock Up 0.2%

FDP opened at $42.57 on Friday. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $38.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.84. The company has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.64 and a beta of 0.28.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $968.20 million for 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 was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.26 EPS.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded 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 Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fresh Del Monte Produce

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce during the second quarter worth approximately $44,011,000. LSV Asset Management raised its position in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 148.3% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,439,958 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,683,000 after purchasing an additional 859,940 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Fresh Del Monte Produce during the 4th quarter worth $21,174,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 1,647.2% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 596,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,390,000 after buying an additional 562,356 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 289.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 243,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,900,000 after buying an additional 181,145 shares during the period. 64.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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.