Royce & Associates LP Makes New Investment in Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP)

Royce & Associates LP purchased a new position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 6,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $201,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 49.1% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 19,913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 6,554 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 143,363 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce during the 1st quarter worth about $49,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Fresh Del Monte Produce in the 1st quarter valued at about $174,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Fresh Del Monte Produce in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors own 64.83% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Fresh Del Monte Produce Stock Up 0.2 %

FDP opened at $33.86 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $30.48 and a 200-day moving average of $26.67. The company has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.61 and a beta of 0.41. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $21.23 and a fifty-two week high of $35.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 2.09.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.30. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a net margin of 0.36% and a return on equity of 5.91%. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $989.45 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.35 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.95%. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 303.04%.

Fresh Del Monte Produce 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.