Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO) Short Interest Update

Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,260,000 shares, a growth of 11.5% from the March 15th total of 1,130,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 183,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.9 days. Approximately 2.9% of the company's stock are short sold.

Mission Produce Stock Performance

Shares of AVO traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $11.33. 109,158 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 173,516. The business's 50-day moving average price is $11.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $802.73 million, a P/E ratio of 141.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.27. Mission Produce has a 12 month low of $8.19 and a 12 month high of $13.99.

Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 11th. The company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.16. Mission Produce had a return on equity of 3.98% and a net margin of 0.60%. The firm had revenue of $258.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.40 million. Equities analysts predict that Mission Produce will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stephens decreased their target price on Mission Produce from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Luis A. Gonzalez sold 6,869 shares of Mission Produce stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.01, for a total value of $82,496.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,767,038 shares in the company, valued at $93,282,126.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Mission Produce news, Director Luis A. Gonzalez sold 42,008 shares of Mission Produce stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.07, for a total value of $507,036.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,781,178 shares in the company, valued at $93,918,818.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Luis A. Gonzalez sold 6,869 shares of Mission Produce stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.01, for a total value of $82,496.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,767,038 shares of the company's stock, valued at $93,282,126.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 280,834 shares of company stock worth $3,333,705. Corporate insiders own 41.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mission Produce

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVO. Nuance Investments LLC grew its position in Mission Produce by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 4,621,456 shares of the company's stock worth $46,630,000 after purchasing an additional 327,889 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mission Produce by 19.3% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,294,820 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,933,000 after acquiring an additional 533,364 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mission Produce by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,801,428 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,266,000 after acquiring an additional 38,465 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mission Produce by 13.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 942,083 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,418,000 after acquiring an additional 113,304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Mission Produce by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 891,064 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,800,000 after acquiring an additional 52,909 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.57% of the company's stock.

About Mission Produce

Mission Produce, Inc engages in the sourcing, farming, packaging, marketing, and distribution of avocados, mangoes, and blueberries to food retailers, distributors, and foodservice customers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments, Marketing and Distribution; International Farming; and Blueberries.