Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO) Short Interest Up 16.2% in January

Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVO) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,720,000 shares, a growth 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 short-interest ratio is presently 5.1 days. Approximately 3.8% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Mission Produce Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of AVO stock traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.04. The company had a trading volume of 566,600 shares, compared to its average volume of 292,490. The firm has a market cap of $853.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $12.76 and a 200 day moving average of $12.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.26. Mission Produce has a 1-year low of $9.54 and a 1-year high of $15.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jay A. Pack sold 59,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.70, for a total transaction of $869,725.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,015,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,922,852. This trade represents a 5.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Barnard sold 7,032 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.51, for a total value of $102,034.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,787,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,935,899.50. This represents a 0.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 224,252 shares of company stock worth $3,256,786. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Mission Produce

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Mission Produce by 308.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 67,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $860,000 after buying an additional 50,680 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Mission Produce by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 66,303 shares of the company’s stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 4,894 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mission Produce by 171.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 158,257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,029,000 after purchasing an additional 100,055 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Mission Produce in the 3rd quarter worth $1,295,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Mission Produce by 48.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 51,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $665,000 after acquiring an additional 16,968 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.57% of the company’s stock.

Mission Produce Company Profile

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.