Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 39,095 Shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. $FDP

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. (NYSE:FDP) by 478.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,265 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,095 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.10% of Fresh Del Monte Produce worth $1,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 2.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,943,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,395,000 after purchasing an additional 133,638 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 2.7% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,135,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,010,000 after purchasing an additional 30,216 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 1.2% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 930,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,700,000 after purchasing an additional 11,309 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management raised its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 68.8% in the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 580,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,882,000 after purchasing an additional 236,476 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 453,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,062,000 after purchasing an additional 12,723 shares during the period. 64.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Trading Up 0.9%

FDP stock opened at $36.50 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 2.08. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $34.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.91. Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.50 and a 52 week high of $40.75. The company has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of 11.70 and a beta of 0.42.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.28. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 6.84%. The business had revenue of $1.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.06 earnings per share. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s dividend payout ratio is 38.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fresh Del Monte Produce

In related news, SVP Ziad Nabulsi sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.95, for a total value of $35,950.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,403.10. This represents a 8.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Gianpaolo Renino sold 12,192 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.53, for a total transaction of $445,373.76. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,197 shares in the company, valued at $116,786.41. The trade was a 79.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 136,766 shares of company stock valued at $5,000,949. 31.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.