Dole PLC $DOLE Shares Bought by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Dole PLC (NYSE:DOLE) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,617,435 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 525,801 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Dole were worth $69,215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Dole by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 42,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $632,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Dole by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 16,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 753 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Dole by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 5,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Dole by 120.8% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Dole by 190.2% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,101 shares in the last quarter.

Dole Stock Down 0.4%

DOLE opened at $14.01 on Friday. Dole PLC has a one year low of $12.52 and a one year high of $16.57. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.63. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.93.

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

Dole Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.085 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 17th. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Dole’s payout ratio is currently 75.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on DOLE. Zacks Research cut shares of Dole from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $15.00 price objective (down from $18.00) on shares of Dole in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Dole from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Dole from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Dole currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $15.50.

About Dole

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.