Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO) Reaches New 12-Month High on Insider Buying Activity

Shares of Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as $14.23 and last traded at $14.0060, with a volume of 1363102 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.12.

Specifically, major shareholder Holdings Venture Globalharvest purchased 300,000 shares of Mission Produce stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.50 per share, for a total transaction of $3,750,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 9,461,581 shares in the company, valued at $118,269,762.50. This represents a 3.27% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Holdings Venture Globalharvest bought 324,295 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $12.37 per share, with a total value of $4,011,529.15. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 9,161,581 shares in the company, valued at approximately $113,328,756.97. This trade represents a 3.67% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In other Mission Produce news, major shareholder Holdings Venture Globalharvest acquired 985,704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.76 per share, with a total value of $11,591,879.04. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 8,837,286 shares in the company, valued at $103,926,483.36. This represents a 12.55% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Mission Produce in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research lowered Mission Produce from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Mission Produce in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $17.00.

Key Headlines Impacting Mission Produce

Here are the key news stories impacting Mission Produce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder continued heavy buying: Globalharvest executed multiple large purchases (including a ~985,704‑share block on Jan. 15 and additional buys afterward), boosting its ownership and signaling insider confidence that likely supports demand and the stock’s rise. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and analyst attention: recent writeups (Zacks, sector earnings reviews) highlight a ~13% rally in a month and positive comparisons vs. perishable‑food peers, attracting momentum buyers. Lake Street has reiterated a buy, which can add buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional accumulation: several funds have increased positions recently (reported buys by Arrowstreet, Dimensional, American Century, etc.), which reduces available float and provides steady bid support. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Board adopted a one‑year stockholder rights plan (effective Jan. 21, 2026) in response to the stock accumulation; the plan is intended to protect minority shareholders and prevent an unpriced control accumulation, but it also introduces governance uncertainty until the situation is resolved. Watch for the Form 8‑K for details and for any statements from Globalharvest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor‑rights outreach: Halper Sadeh LLC has solicited AVO shareholders to contact the firm; so far this is a solicitation and not a filed claim against Mission Produce, but it’s a monitoring item for governance/legal risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed fundamentals: Q4 results were mixed — revenue beat estimates but fell ~10% year‑over‑year and EPS missed by $0.01; margins remain thin. The stock is therefore sensitive to near‑term operating updates and commodity/supply swings. Read More.

Mission Produce Stock Up 2.6%

The firm has a market cap of $949.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.89 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $319.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $301.60 million. Mission Produce had a return on equity of 8.18% and a net margin of 2.71%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Mission Produce, Inc. will post 0.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mission Produce

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Mission Produce during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mission Produce by 673.8% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,453 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 2,136 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Mission Produce during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Mission Produce by 211.8% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 3,158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mission Produce by 33.7% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 4,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,174 shares during the period. 63.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Mission Produce

Mission Produce, Inc is a leading global supplier, packer and distributor of fresh avocados, serving retail, foodservice and industrial customers. The company manages a vertically integrated supply chain that spans sourcing, post-harvest handling, packing and ripening. Through proprietary ripening technologies and cold-chain logistics, Mission Produce delivers consistent quality and extended shelf life for its avocado offerings.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Oxnard, California, Mission Produce grew from a regional packing operation into a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker AVO.