Man Group plc Acquires Shares of 32,018 Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW)

Man Group plc purchased a new stake in Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 32,018 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $816,000. Man Group plc owned about 0.18% of Calavo Growers at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Calavo Growers in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in 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 Calavo Growers in the 4th quarter valued at $76,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Calavo Growers in the 4th quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Calavo Growers by 139.5% in the 4th 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 period. Institutional investors own 81.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Calavo Growers news, EVP Michael A. Browne bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $23.12 per share, for a total transaction of $115,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,400 shares in the company, valued at $147,968. This trade represents a 357.14% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Lecil E. Cole bought 38,155 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 14th. The stock was acquired 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 in the company, valued at $14,125,935. This trade represents a 7.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired a total of 73,438 shares of company stock worth $1,771,303 in the last 90 days. 7.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Calavo Growers Price Performance

Shares of Calavo Growers stock traded up $0.16 on Thursday, hitting $26.74. 52,222 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 218,826. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $25.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.98. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a market cap of $476.87 million, a P/E ratio of -445.52 and a beta of 0.42. Calavo Growers, Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.30 and a 12-month high of $30.58.

Calavo Growers Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Calavo Growers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.