Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP) Short Interest Up 152.1% in December

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 647,500 shares, an increase of 152.1% from the December 15th total of 256,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 288,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Currently, 1.6% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FDP. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 17,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $513,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 2.2% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 27,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $596,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 4.1% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 37,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,093,000 after acquiring an additional 1,449 shares during the period. Finally, Clifford Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 5.8% during the second quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC now owns 26,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.83% of the company’s stock.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Stock Performance

NYSE FDP traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $31.41. The company had a trading volume of 209,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 244,322. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 95.18 and a beta of 0.41. Fresh Del Monte Produce has a fifty-two week low of $21.23 and a fifty-two week high of $35.27. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.48.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $989.45 million. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a net margin of 0.36% and a return on equity of 5.91%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s payout ratio is currently 303.03%.

About Fresh Del Monte Produce

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc, through its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and distributes fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Fresh and Value-Added Products, Banana, and Other Products and Services.