D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Increases Holdings in Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its position in Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW - Free Report) by 46.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 180,268 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 57,575 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 1.01% of Calavo Growers worth $4,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CVGW. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Calavo Growers in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Calavo Growers by 69.1% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,542 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,039 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Calavo Growers in the 4th quarter worth $76,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Calavo Growers in the 4th quarter worth $86,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Calavo Growers by 139.5% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,393 shares of the company's stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 3,141 shares in the last quarter. 81.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Lecil E. Cole purchased 38,155 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.60 per share, for a total transaction of $938,613.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 574,225 shares in the company, valued at $14,125,935. This trade represents a 7.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO James E. Snyder purchased 3,213 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $23.33 per share, for a total transaction of $74,959.29. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 5,157 shares of the company's stock, valued at $120,312.81. The trade was a 165.28% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 73,438 shares of company stock worth $1,771,303. 7.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Calavo Growers Stock Up 0.3%

Calavo Growers stock traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $25.58. 111,005 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 219,161. Calavo Growers, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.30 and a 52-week high of $30.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $456.27 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -426.33 and a beta of 0.42. The business's 50-day moving average price is $25.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Calavo Growers Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. Calavo Growers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.