Dole PLC $DOLE Shares Purchased by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Dole PLC (NYSE:DOLE) by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,078,957 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 248,703 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.18% of Dole worth $27,941,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DOLE. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Dole by 120.8% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the period. Westfuller Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Dole in the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of Dole in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Dole by 269.0% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 2,709 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Dole by 62.0% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 3,867 shares in the last quarter.

Dole Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of Dole stock opened at $15.29 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Dole PLC has a twelve month low of $12.52 and a twelve month high of $16.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 28.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $15.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.43.

Dole (NYSE:DOLE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.02. Dole had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 0.56%.The company had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.16 EPS. Dole’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Dole PLC will post 1.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dole Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.085 per share. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 18th. Dole’s payout ratio is presently 64.15%.

Dole declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, November 10th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DOLE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Dole in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Dole from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.00.

Dole Company Profile

Dole plc is a global producer, marketer and distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables. The company’s product range includes bananas, pineapples, berries, grapes, salads and a variety of other fresh and packaged produce, sold under the Dole brand and through private-label arrangements. Dole’s operations span the full fresh-produce value chain, from farming and sourcing to packing, ripening, cold‑chain logistics and wholesale and retail distribution, supporting both retail grocery and foodservice customers.

The company traces its commercial heritage to the early 20th century Hawaiian pineapple business founded by James Dole and has evolved through subsequent corporate restructurings and combinations.