Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO) Short Interest Update

Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,720,000 shares, an increase of 16.2% from the January 15th total of 1,480,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 334,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.1 days. Approximately 3.8% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mission Produce

In other news, Director Jay A. Pack sold 59,165 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.70, for a total transaction of $869,725.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,015,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,922,852. This represents a 5.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Barnard sold 103,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.53, for a total value of $1,508,896.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,790,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,022,735.98. This represents a 5.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 224,252 shares of company stock valued at $3,256,786. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mission Produce by 328.2% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 485,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,971,000 after buying an additional 371,813 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Mission Produce by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,787,778 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,691,000 after buying an additional 257,344 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new position in Mission Produce during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,939,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Mission Produce during the 4th quarter worth $2,147,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP grew its stake in shares of Mission Produce by 255.2% in the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 201,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,902,000 after acquiring an additional 145,111 shares in the last quarter. 63.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mission Produce Stock Performance

Shares of AVO stock opened at $12.04 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.31. Mission Produce has a 12 month low of $9.54 and a 12 month high of $15.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $853.88 million, a PE ratio of 23.61 and a beta of 0.48.

About Mission Produce

Mission Produce, Inc engages in the sourcing, farming, packaging, marketing, and distribution of avocados, mangoes, and blueberries to food retailers, distributors, and foodservice customers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments, Marketing and Distribution; International Farming; and Blueberries.