Dole (NYSE:DOLE) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Dole (NYSE:DOLE) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, Zacks reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on DOLE. Freedom Broker began coverage on shares of Dole in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. They set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Dole in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Dole from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.00.

Dole Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE DOLE opened at $14.22 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $13.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.75. Dole has a 1 year low of $12.59 and a 1 year high of $16.57.

Dole (NYSE:DOLE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 9th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.37 billion. Dole had a net margin of 0.97% and a return on equity of 7.05%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Dole will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Dole

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Dole by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 19,595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 1,826 shares in the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC purchased a new position in Dole in the third quarter worth $252,000. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its position in Dole by 29.4% in the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 189,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,406,000 after acquiring an additional 43,005 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in Dole in the third quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC increased its stake in Dole by 0.5% in the third quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 181,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,308,000 after acquiring an additional 845 shares during the last quarter.

Dole Company Profile

Dole plc is an international fresh produce company that sources, grows, packs, ships, markets and distributes fruit and vegetables. Its products include bananas, pineapples and other fresh fruit, as well as vegetables and packaged salads sold under the Dole brand and other labels. The company serves retail, wholesale and food-service customers across a range of markets. Its operations span multiple regions, connecting produce growers and farms with customers through its global sourcing, logistics and distribution network.