Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Purchases 44,400 Shares of Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW - Free Report) by 24.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 223,300 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 44,400 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned approximately 1.25% of Calavo Growers worth $5,694,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Calavo Growers by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 445,817 shares of the company's stock worth $11,368,000 after purchasing an additional 94,221 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Calavo Growers by 221.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 123,841 shares of the company's stock worth $3,533,000 after acquiring an additional 85,272 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Calavo Growers by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 150,960 shares of the company's stock worth $3,849,000 after purchasing an additional 77,220 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in Calavo Growers in the fourth quarter valued at $1,371,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Calavo Growers in the 4th quarter worth about $1,275,000. Institutional investors own 81.30% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Calavo Growers

In other Calavo Growers news, CEO Lecil E. Cole purchased 38,155 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $24.60 per share, for a total transaction of $938,613.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 574,225 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,125,935. This trade represents a 7.12 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO James E. Snyder acquired 3,213 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $23.33 per share, with a total value of $74,959.29. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 5,157 shares of the company's stock, valued at $120,312.81. This represents a 165.28 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 73,438 shares of company stock valued at $1,771,303. Insiders own 7.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on CVGW shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Calavo Growers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Lake Street Capital reduced their price target on shares of Calavo Growers from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th.

Calavo Growers Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of CVGW traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $27.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 104,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 211,838. The company has a 50 day moving average of $23.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm has a market cap of $484.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -453.08 and a beta of 0.41. Calavo Growers, Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.30 and a 1-year high of $30.58.

Calavo Growers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Calavo Growers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 148.15%.

About Calavo Growers

Calavo Growers, Inc markets and distributes avocados, prepared avocados, and other perishable foods to retail grocery and foodservice customers, club stores, mass merchandisers, food distributors, and wholesale customers worldwide. It operates through Grown and Prepared segments. The Grown segment distributes tomatoes and papayas; and procures avocados grown in California, Mexico, Peru, and Colombia.