Renaissance Technologies LLC Has $7.03 Million Stock Position in Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW)

Renaissance Technologies LLC trimmed its stake in Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW - Free Report) by 10.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 275,720 shares of the company's stock after selling 32,900 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 1.55% of Calavo Growers worth $7,031,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CVGW. Nuance Investments LLC grew its holdings in Calavo Growers by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 1,663,515 shares of the company's stock worth $42,420,000 after acquiring an additional 26,546 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Calavo Growers by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,148,505 shares of the company's stock worth $29,287,000 after acquiring an additional 22,777 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Calavo Growers by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 445,817 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,368,000 after acquiring an additional 94,221 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Calavo Growers by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 335,914 shares of the company's stock worth $8,566,000 after purchasing an additional 21,584 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Calavo Growers by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 152,141 shares of the company's stock worth $3,880,000 after buying an additional 31,743 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.30% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael A. Browne bought 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $23.69 per share, for a total transaction of $142,140.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 7,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $177,675. The trade was a 400.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lecil E. Cole purchased 21,070 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $23.73 per share, for a total transaction of $499,991.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 536,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,720,941.10. The trade was a 4.09 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders bought 73,438 shares of company stock worth $1,771,303. 7.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on CVGW shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Calavo Growers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Lake Street Capital cut their target price on Calavo Growers from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th.

Calavo Growers Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ CVGW traded down $0.88 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $27.30. 69,669 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 214,084. Calavo Growers, Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.30 and a 12 month high of $30.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.70. The company has a market capitalization of $486.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -454.25 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.20.

Calavo Growers Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Calavo Growers's dividend payout ratio is 148.15%.

Calavo Growers Profile

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.