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Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO) Trading Up 11.9% - Should You Buy?

Mission Produce logo with Consumer Staples background
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Key Points

  • Mission Produce shares jumped 11.9% after the company’s latest update, with the stock trading as high as $11.25 intraday. Trading volume was below average, suggesting the move happened on lighter volume than usual.
  • The company posted a mixed quarterly report: revenue beat expectations at $290.9 million, but EPS missed estimates at $0.01 versus $0.05 expected, and sales were down 23.5% year over year. That earnings miss appears to be a key reason investors remain cautious.
  • Management announced a new $100 million share repurchase program and said the Calavo Growers acquisition should help second-half results, with guidance for $84 million to $88 million in adjusted EBITDA and $25 million in synergies over 18 months.
  • MarketBeat previews top five stocks to own in July.

Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 11.9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $11.25 and last traded at $11.3090. Approximately 620,535 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 953,355 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.11.

Mission Produce News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mission Produce this week:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AVO shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Mission Produce in a report on Monday, April 20th. Freedom Capital upgraded Mission Produce to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $17.00.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Mission Produce

Mission Produce Stock Up 9.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $781.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.12 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a fifty day moving average of $13.02 and a 200 day moving average of $12.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 8th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.04). Mission Produce had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The business had revenue of $290.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $256.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.04 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Mission Produce, Inc. will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Mission Produce declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Monday, June 8th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 13.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mission Produce news, major shareholder Holdings Venture Globalharvest acquired 3,695 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $11.94 per share, for a total transaction of $44,118.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 9,991,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $119,299,429.38. The trade was a 0.04% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 30.85% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Platform Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Mission Produce during the fourth quarter worth $12,130,000. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in Mission Produce by 1,889.0% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 39,979 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after purchasing an additional 37,969 shares in the last quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP acquired a new position in Mission Produce during the fourth quarter worth $725,000. Nuance Investments LLC lifted its stake in Mission Produce by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 491,807 shares of the company's stock worth $5,705,000 after purchasing an additional 47,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Mission Produce during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 63.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mission Produce Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Mission Produce, Inc is a leading global supplier, packer and distributor of fresh avocados, serving retail, foodservice and industrial customers. The company manages a vertically integrated supply chain that spans sourcing, post-harvest handling, packing and ripening. Through proprietary ripening technologies and cold-chain logistics, Mission Produce delivers consistent quality and extended shelf life for its avocado offerings.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Oxnard, California, Mission Produce grew from a regional packing operation into a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker AVO.

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