Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW) Holdings Lifted by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 335,914 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 21,584 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 1.88% of Calavo Growers worth $8,566,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nuance Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Calavo Growers by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 1,663,515 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,420,000 after purchasing an additional 26,546 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Calavo Growers by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,148,505 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,287,000 after buying an additional 22,777 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Calavo Growers by 26.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Calavo Growers by 215.5% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 262,626 shares of the company's stock worth $7,493,000 after acquiring an additional 179,395 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake 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 valued at $3,880,000 after buying an additional 31,743 shares during the last quarter. 81.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Calavo Growers

In other Calavo Growers news, EVP Michael A. Browne purchased 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $23.69 per share, with a total value 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. This trade represents a 400.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lecil E. Cole acquired 21,070 shares of Calavo Growers stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $23.73 per share, with a total value of $499,991.10. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 536,070 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,720,941.10. This trade represents a 4.09 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 73,438 shares of company stock valued at $1,771,303 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 7.20% of the company's stock.

Calavo Growers Stock Performance

Shares of Calavo Growers stock traded up $1.51 during trading on Friday, hitting $26.17. 455,049 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 210,966. The stock has a market cap of $466.79 million, a PE ratio of -436.17 and a beta of 0.41. The stock's fifty day moving average is $23.53 and its 200 day moving average is $25.24. 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 quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.17.

Calavo Growers (NASDAQ:CVGW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 14th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.25). The firm had revenue of $169.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.99 million. Calavo Growers had a negative net margin of 0.16% and a positive return on equity of 9.66%. Calavo Growers's revenue for the quarter was up 19.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.33) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Calavo Growers, Inc. will post 1.87 EPS for the current year.

Calavo Growers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Calavo Growers's dividend payout ratio is currently 148.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Calavo Growers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Lake Street Capital cut their price target on Calavo Growers from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th.

Calavo Growers Company 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.