American Century Companies Inc. Buys 156,344 Shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP)

American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP) by 29.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 681,344 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 156,344 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce were worth $14,887,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FDP. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,600,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,194,000 after purchasing an additional 143,363 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 839,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,040,000 after buying an additional 17,987 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 107.6% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 477,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,543,000 after buying an additional 247,702 shares during the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP raised its position in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 11.8% during the first quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 385,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,990,000 after acquiring an additional 40,609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 31.4% in the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 370,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,087,000 after acquiring an additional 88,498 shares during the last quarter. 64.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Fresh Del Monte Produce news, Director Mary Ann Cloyd sold 1,689 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.20, for a total value of $45,940.80. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $603,513.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Mary Ann Cloyd sold 1,689 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.20, for a total value of $45,940.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 22,188 shares in the company, valued at approximately $603,513.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Alexandre Apparecido sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.56, for a total value of $41,340.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,139 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,390.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,915 shares of company stock valued at $301,603. Company insiders own 30.10% of the company’s stock.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Price Performance

NYSE:FDP opened at $29.18 on Friday. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. has a 12-month low of $21.23 and a 12-month high of $30.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -57.94 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $26.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.46. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a positive return on equity of 4.87% and a negative net margin of 0.43%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s dividend payout ratio is presently -196.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th.

About Fresh Del Monte Produce

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.