BNP Paribas Financial Markets Trims Stock Position in Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its position in Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW - Free Report) by 39.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,155 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,318 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.14% of Calavo Growers worth $641,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CVGW. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Calavo Growers in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Calavo Growers by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,542 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 1,039 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in Calavo Growers during the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Calavo Growers in the fourth quarter valued at about $86,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Calavo Growers by 139.5% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,393 shares of the company's stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 3,141 shares during the last quarter. 81.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael A. Browne acquired 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $23.69 per share, with a total value of $142,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $177,675. This represents a 400.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lecil E. Cole bought 38,155 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $24.60 per share, for a total transaction of $938,613.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 574,225 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,125,935. The trade was a 7.12% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 73,438 shares of company stock worth $1,771,303. 7.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Calavo Growers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th.

Calavo Growers Price Performance

Calavo Growers stock traded up $0.94 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $26.52. 258,457 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 209,491. Calavo Growers, Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.30 and a 12-month high of $30.58. The company has a market capitalization of $473.04 million, a P/E ratio of -442.00 and a beta of 0.42. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $25.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.70.

Calavo Growers Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Calavo Growers's payout ratio is currently 148.15%.

About Calavo Growers

Calavo Growers, Inc markets and distributes avocados, prepared avocados, and other perishable foods to retail grocery and foodservice customers, club stores, mass merchandisers, food distributors, and wholesale customers worldwide. It operates through Grown and Prepared segments. The Grown segment distributes tomatoes and papayas; and procures avocados grown in California, Mexico, Peru, and Colombia.