Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 659,892 Shares of Dole PLC $DOLE

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Dole PLC (NYSE:DOLE) by 15.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,999,095 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 659,892 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.05% of Dole worth $71,438,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Dole by 28.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 10,793 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Dole by 4.4% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 44,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 1,879 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dole in the first quarter valued at about $6,749,000. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Dole by 87.6% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 213,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,089,000 after buying an additional 99,842 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Dole by 96.4% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 22,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 10,849 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on DOLE shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Dole in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Dole from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.50.

Dole Stock Down 1.3%

DOLE opened at $14.13 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.40, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.25. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.75. Dole PLC has a twelve month low of $12.52 and a twelve month high of $16.57.

Dole (NYSE:DOLE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Dole had a net margin of 0.46% and a return on equity of 7.63%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.35 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Dole PLC will post 1.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dole Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were issued a dividend of $0.085 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 17th. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Dole’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.56%.

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.