Village Farms International Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:VFF)

Key Points

• Village Farms International experienced a significant increase in call options trading, with a 427% rise in volume on Wednesday, indicating heightened investor interest.
• CFO Stephen C. Ruffini purchased 25,000 shares of the company's stock, increasing his holdings to nearly 9.8 million shares, valued at over $11.8 million, which reflects confidence in the company.
• Despite recent trading up 2.2%, the stock has faced mixed analyst ratings, with some downgrades to "sell" while others maintain a "buy" or "overweight" stance, highlighting adivergence in market outlook.

Village Farms International, Inc. (NASDAQ:VFF - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors acquired 3,276 call options on the company. Thisisanincreaseof427% compared to the average volume of 622 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Village Farms International

In related news, CFO Stephen C. Ruffini acquired 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $1.21 per share, for a total transaction 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 12.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VFF. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Village Farms International by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,778,410 shares of the company's stock worth $3,056,000 after buying an additional 87,726 shares during the period. Hilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Village Farms International during the 2nd quarter worth about $94,000. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Village Farms International by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 203,772 shares of the company's stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 16,631 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Village Farms International during the 2nd quarter worth about $440,000. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Village Farms International by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 3,368,688 shares of the company's stock worth $3,706,000 after buying an additional 25,880 shares during the period. 12.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Village Farms International Stock Up 12.8%

VFF stock traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $2.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,650,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 960,632. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 1.89. Village Farms International has a twelve month low of $0.45 and a twelve month high of $2.95. The company's fifty day moving average price is $1.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $326.66 million, a P/E ratio of 32.23 and a beta of 2.14.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VFF has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Alliance Global Partners restated a "buy" rating on shares of Village Farms International in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Village Farms International from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Zelman & Associates restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Village Farms International in a report on Monday, June 9th.

About Village Farms International

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.