Village Farms International (NASDAQ:VFF) Upgraded to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Village Farms International (NASDAQ: VFF) has been upgraded from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen.
• In its latest quarterly earnings report, Village Farms exceeded analysts' expectations, reporting earnings per share of $0.10 against a consensus estimate of ($0.02).
• Insider activity includes CFO Stephen C. Ruffini purchasing 25,000 shares at $1.21 each, increasing his ownership of the company significantly.

Village Farms International (NASDAQ:VFF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Alliance Global Partners reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Village Farms International in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Zelman & Associates reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Village Farms International in a research report on Monday, June 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Village Farms International currently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Village Farms International Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ VFF traded up $0.0340 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $2.7740. The company had a trading volume of 1,653,696 shares, compared to its average volume of 976,959. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1.02. The stock has a market cap of $312.46 million, a P/E ratio of 30.73 and a beta of 2.14. Village Farms International has a 52-week low of $0.45 and a 52-week high of $2.95.

Village Farms International (NASDAQ:VFF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 11th. The company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $59.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.86 million. Village Farms International had a net margin of 3.42% and a negative return on equity of 2.24%. Sell-side analysts predict that Village Farms International will post -0.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Village Farms International

In other news, CFO Stephen C. Ruffini bought 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $1.21 per share, with a total value of $30,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 9,783,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,837,583.67. The trade was a 0.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 12.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Village Farms International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lighthouse Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Village Farms International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in Village Farms International by 50.6% during the second quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 59,500 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Village Farms International during the second quarter worth about $94,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Village Farms International during the fourth quarter worth about $146,000. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new stake in Village Farms International during the fourth quarter worth about $146,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.15% of the company's stock.

Village Farms International Company Profile

Village Farms International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and sells greenhouse-grown tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers in North America. It operates through four segments: Produce, Cannabis-Canada, Cannabis-U.S., and Energy. The company also produces and supplies cannabis products to other licensed providers and provincial governments in Canada and internationally; develops and sells cannabinoid-based health and wellness products, including ingestible, edibles, and topical applications; and produces power.