Short Interest in Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO) Declines By 12.2%

Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,300,000 shares, a decrease of 12.2% from the December 31st total of 1,480,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 308,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.2 days. Currently, 2.9% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Transactions at Mission Produce

In other Mission Produce news, CEO Stephen J. Barnard sold 7,032 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.51, for a total value of $102,034.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,787,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,935,899.50. This trade represents a 0.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jay A. Pack sold 59,165 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.70, for a total transaction of $869,725.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,015,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,922,852. This trade represents a 5.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 224,252 shares of company stock worth $3,256,786 over the last 90 days. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mission Produce

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Mission Produce by 8.3% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,226 shares of the company's stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Mission Produce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its holdings in Mission Produce by 46.8% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 10,845 shares of the company's stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 3,455 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Mission Produce during the 4th quarter worth $57,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Mission Produce by 72.6% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock worth $137,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. 63.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mission Produce Price Performance

AVO stock traded down $0.21 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $11.49. 284,669 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 347,608. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.87. The stock has a market cap of $814.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53 and a beta of 0.48. Mission Produce has a fifty-two week low of $9.54 and a fifty-two week high of $15.25. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $13.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.28.

About Mission Produce

Mission Produce, Inc engages in the sourcing, farming, packaging, marketing, and distribution of avocados, mangoes, and blueberries to food retailers, distributors, and foodservice customers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments, Marketing and Distribution; International Farming; and Blueberries.