Dole PLC $DOLE Shares Purchased by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Dole PLC (NYSE:DOLE) by 46.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 233,867 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 74,096 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Dole were worth $3,143,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Dole during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $452,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Dole by 15.8% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,830,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,605,000 after buying an additional 249,842 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dole in the second quarter valued at $411,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in shares of Dole by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,526,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,358,000 after buying an additional 100,338 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Dole by 53.0% in the 2nd quarter. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC now owns 63,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $893,000 after buying an additional 22,100 shares during the period.

Dole Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DOLE opened at $16.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 108.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $15.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.22. Dole PLC has a 1-year low of $12.52 and a 1-year high of $16.57.

Dole (NYSE:DOLE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by ($0.01). Dole had a return on equity of 7.98% and a net margin of 0.17%.The company had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.19 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Dole PLC will post 1.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dole announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Monday, November 10th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Dole in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Dole from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.00.

Dole Profile

Dole plc is a global producer, marketer and distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables. The company’s product range includes bananas, pineapples, berries, grapes, salads and a variety of other fresh and packaged produce, sold under the Dole brand and through private-label arrangements. Dole’s operations span the full fresh-produce value chain, from farming and sourcing to packing, ripening, cold‑chain logistics and wholesale and retail distribution, supporting both retail grocery and foodservice customers.

The company traces its commercial heritage to the early 20th century Hawaiian pineapple business founded by James Dole and has evolved through subsequent corporate restructurings and combinations.