Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 133,122 Shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP)

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,809,451 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 133,122 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.03% of Fresh Del Monte Produce worth $159,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FDP. LPL Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce during the fourth quarter worth about $434,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,099,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,114,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 950,108 shares of the company's stock worth $31,553,000 after purchasing an additional 171,574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 267,665 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,889,000 after purchasing an additional 50,208 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.83% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Fresh Del Monte Produce news, SVP Ziad Nabulsi sold 1,725 shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.42, for a total value of $52,474.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $349,769.16. The trade was a 13.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Monica Vicente sold 2,532 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.42, for a total transaction of $77,023.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $328,779.36. The trade was a 18.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,469 shares of company stock valued at $319,190. Insiders own 30.10% of the company's stock.

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Fresh Del Monte Produce Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE FDP traded up $0.56 during trading on Friday, hitting $30.97. The stock had a trading volume of 237,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 302,361. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $30.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.35. The company has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a PE ratio of 93.85 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.23 and a 12 month high of $35.27.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.16). Fresh Del Monte Produce had a net margin of 0.36% and a return on equity of 5.91%. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis.

Fresh Del Monte Produce announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Monday, February 24th that permits the company to repurchase $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 10.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This is a positive change from Fresh Del Monte Produce's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Fresh Del Monte Produce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Fresh Del Monte Produce from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Company Profile

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc, through its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and distributes fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Fresh and Value-Added Products, Banana, and Other Products and Services.