Michael A. Browne Acquires 5,000 Shares of Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW) Stock

Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW) EVP Michael A. Browne bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $23.12 per share, for a total transaction of $115,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,400 shares in the company, valued at $147,968. The trade was a 357.14 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Calavo Growers Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CVGW opened at $23.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.70. The firm has a market cap of $427.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -399.50 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $23.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.31. Calavo Growers, Inc. has a one year low of $20.30 and a one year high of $30.58.

Calavo Growers (NASDAQ:CVGW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 14th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.25). Calavo Growers had a negative net margin of 0.16% and a positive return on equity of 9.66%. The business had revenue of $169.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.99 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.33) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Calavo Growers, Inc. will post 1.87 EPS for the current year.

Calavo Growers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Calavo Growers’s payout ratio is 148.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Calavo Growers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Lake Street Capital decreased their price target on shares of Calavo Growers from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Calavo Growers

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Calavo Growers by 1,994.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 12,542 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in Calavo Growers by 626.3% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 7,118 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,000 after purchasing an additional 6,138 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Calavo Growers by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 27,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $706,000 after buying an additional 3,141 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in Calavo Growers by 363.0% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 78,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,003,000 after buying an additional 61,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new position in Calavo Growers in the 4th quarter valued at about $219,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.30% of the company’s stock.

About Calavo Growers

Calavo Growers, Inc markets and distributes avocados, prepared avocados, and other perishable foods to retail grocery and foodservice customers, club stores, mass merchandisers, food distributors, and wholesale customers worldwide. It operates through Grown and Prepared segments. The Grown segment distributes tomatoes and papayas; and procures avocados grown in California, Mexico, Peru, and Colombia.