American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. $FDP

American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. (NYSE:FDP) by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,359,355 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 117,567 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Fresh Del Monte Produce were worth $47,197,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce by 13.1% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 59,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,072,000 after purchasing an additional 6,890 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Fresh Del Monte Produce during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $228,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 8.3% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 152,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,279,000 after buying an additional 11,604 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management increased its position in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 20.2% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,731,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,109,000 after buying an additional 291,290 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Fresh Del Monte Produce by 30.1% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after buying an additional 5,408 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.83% of the company’s stock.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Stock Down 0.4%

Fresh Del Monte Produce stock opened at $42.51 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $38.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.79. Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.00 and a 1-year high of $43.58. The company has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of 22.61 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $968.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Fresh Del Monte Produce had a return on equity of 7.63% and a net margin of 2.10%.Fresh Del Monte Produce’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Fresh Del Monte Produce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on FDP shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Insider Activity

In other Fresh Del Monte Produce news, COO Mohammed Abbas sold 3,458 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.28, for a total transaction of $146,204.24. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 59,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,533,840.40. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Danny Dumas sold 818 shares of Fresh Del Monte Produce stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.28, for a total transaction of $34,585.04. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $108,236.80. The trade was a 24.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 41,077 shares of company stock valued at $1,627,233 in the last quarter. Insiders own 31.60% of the company’s stock.

Key Fresh Del Monte Produce News

Here are the key news stories impacting Fresh Del Monte Produce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share (annualized $1.20, ~2.8% yield) with record/ex-dividend dates in early March — supports income-oriented holders and provides a near-term cash return to shareholders. Dividend & company update
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst moves have turned more favorable (Wall Street Zen and Weiss Ratings upgraded FDP to Buy), which can support demand from retail and institutional buyers. Analyst upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly results: EPS materially beat consensus ($0.70 vs. $0.28) but revenue slightly missed estimates ($968.2M vs. ~$1.01B). The EPS beat is positive for profitability metrics, but the revenue shortfall and modest year-over-year growth make the release a mixed signal. Earnings summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership remains high (roughly 65%) with several large funds reported adding to or trimming positions in recent quarters — signals steady professional interest but not an immediate directional catalyst. Institutional holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling reported across multiple senior executives (COO, CFO and several SVPs) on March 3–4 — sizable transactions include thousands of shares sold at ~\$42.28–\$42.50 and notable percentage reductions in some officers’ holdings. Heavy insider selling can signal caution from management or simply portfolio diversification/liquidity needs, but markets often view clustered officer sales as a near-term negative. Insider selling report

Fresh Del Monte Produce Profile

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables worldwide. The company offers a wide range of products including bananas, pineapples, melons, grapes and avocados, along with value-added items such as fruit salads, vegetable trays and snack packs under the Del Monte® brand.

Founded in 1989 as a spin-off from Del Monte, Fresh Del Monte has developed a global supply chain that spans production farms, ripening facilities and packaging centers across Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.