Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,300,000 shares, a decline of 12.2% from the December 31st total of 1,480,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 308,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.2 days. Approximately 2.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Mission Produce Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ AVO traded down $0.08 on Friday, reaching $11.89. The stock had a trading volume of 264,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 350,977. Mission Produce has a 1 year low of $9.54 and a 1 year high of $15.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $13.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.25. 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 company has a market capitalization of $843.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31 and a beta of 0.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mission Produce news, Director Jay A. Pack sold 59,165 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.70, for a total value of $869,725.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,015,160 shares in the company, valued at $14,922,852. This represents a 5.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen J. Barnard sold 103,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.53, for a total transaction of $1,508,896.91. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,790,966 shares in the company, 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 224,252 shares of company stock worth $3,256,786. Company insiders own 41.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mission Produce

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Planning boosted its stake in shares of Mission Produce by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Mission Produce in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its position in Mission Produce by 46.8% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 10,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 3,455 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in Mission Produce during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in Mission Produce by 72.6% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.57% of the company’s stock.

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.