Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW) Shares Acquired by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW - Free Report) by 363.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,538 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 61,574 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned approximately 0.44% of Calavo Growers worth $2,003,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new stake in Calavo Growers in the 4th quarter valued at $219,000. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in Calavo Growers by 63.7% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 53,214 shares of the company's stock worth $1,357,000 after buying an additional 20,714 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Calavo Growers in the fourth quarter valued at $99,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Calavo Growers by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 20,037 shares of the company's stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 5,937 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc purchased a new position in Calavo Growers in the fourth quarter worth approximately $816,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.30% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO James E. Snyder acquired 3,213 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $23.33 per share, with a total value of $74,959.29. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 5,157 shares in the company, valued at approximately $120,312.81. This represents a 165.28% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael A. Browne acquired 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $23.12 per share, with a total value of $115,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,400 shares in the company, valued at $147,968. This represents a 357.14% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 73,438 shares of company stock valued at $1,771,303 over the last three months. 7.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Calavo Growers Stock Performance

Shares of Calavo Growers stock traded up $0.67 during trading on Friday, reaching $27.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 501,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 221,158. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $25.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.97. Calavo Growers, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.30 and a fifty-two week high of $30.58. 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 firm has a market cap of $491.94 million, a PE ratio of -459.67 and a beta of 0.42.

Calavo Growers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Calavo Growers's dividend payout ratio is presently 148.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.