Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Decreases Stock Position in Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,542,063 shares of the company's stock after selling 73,886 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 7.39% of Fresh Del Monte Produce worth $117,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 185.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 70,694 shares of the company's stock worth $2,087,000 after acquiring an additional 45,952 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 0.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 773,116 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,842,000 after buying an additional 2,767 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in Fresh Del Monte Produce in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $597,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 36,710 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,066,000 after purchasing an additional 5,587 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 25.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 437,998 shares of the company's stock worth $12,938,000 after purchasing an additional 88,900 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.83% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Fresh Del Monte Produce from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Stock Performance

FDP traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $33.26. 97,062 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 383,683. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 100.79 and a beta of 0.36. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.23 and a 52-week high of $35.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company's fifty day moving average price is $31.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.74.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a return on equity of 5.91% and a net margin of 0.36%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.34 EPS.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Fresh Del Monte Produce's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.40%.

Fresh Del Monte Produce announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Monday, February 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 10.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Fresh Del Monte Produce

In other news, COO Mohammed Abbas sold 5,064 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.42, for a total value of $154,046.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,385,935.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Ziad Nabulsi sold 1,725 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.42, for a total transaction of $52,474.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at $349,769.16. This represents a 13.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,469 shares of company stock worth $319,190 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 30.10% of the company's stock.

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.