Limoneira (NASDAQ:LMNR) Short Interest Down 20.1% in January

Limoneira (NASDAQ:LMNR) was the target of a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 221,000 shares, a drop of 20.1% from the December 31st total of 276,600 shares. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 54,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised Limoneira from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Limoneira by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,486 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Limoneira by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 16,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $398,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of Limoneira by 77.5% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Limoneira by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Limoneira by 27.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 9,086 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.35% of the company’s stock.

Limoneira Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LMNR traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $23.06. 52,597 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 59,164. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $416.99 million, a P/E ratio of 60.69 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Limoneira has a 1 year low of $17.37 and a 1 year high of $29.22.

Limoneira Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 30th were paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 30th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. Limoneira’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.95%.

Limoneira Company Profile

Limoneira Company operates as an agribusiness and real estate development company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three divisions: Agribusiness, Rental Operations, and Real Estate Development. It grows, processes, packs, markets, and sells lemons. The company also grows avocado, oranges, and specialty citrus and other crops, including Moro blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges, Valencia oranges, Minneola tangelos, Star Ruby grapefruit, pummelos, and wine grapes.