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

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

Institutional Trading of Fresh Del Monte Produce

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FDP. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 27,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 73,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,613,000 after purchasing an additional 3,913 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Fresh Del Monte Produce in the 2nd quarter worth $930,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 337,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,365,000 after purchasing an additional 24,111 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 17.5% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 636,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,906,000 after purchasing an additional 94,854 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.83% of the company’s stock.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Price Performance

NYSE FDP traded down $0.33 during trading on Thursday, reaching $31.10. 262,098 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 240,742. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $32.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.18. The company has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.24 and a beta of 0.41. Fresh Del Monte Produce has a 1-year low of $21.23 and a 1-year high of $35.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 2.09.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.30. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a net margin of 0.36% and a return on equity of 5.91%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $989.45 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.35 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

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.