Insiders at Novavax Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX) Buy Shares on the Dip; Four Other Companies See Notable Insider Transactions

Founder of Parent Company of Investment Banking Firm Jefferies Sells Shares

One of the founders of Leucadia National Corp. (NYSE:LUK) offloaded a sizeable block of shares this week. Joseph S. Steinberg, Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors, discarded 200,000 shares on Wednesday at an average price of $19.04 per share, cutting his direct ownership stake to 1.99 million shares. Mr. Steinberg also holds an indirect ownership stake of 19.78 million shares, which are held by corporations owned by the Mr. Steinberg. Around 2.34 million shares are held in a trust for the Chairman’s children.

The parent company of securities and investment banking firm Jefferies has seen its market cap jump by 9% since the beginning of the year. The investment-bank unit of Leucadia National Corp. (NYSE:LUK) recently reported a profit of $41.2 million for the three months that ended August 31, up massively from the $2.1 million posted in the same period of the previous year. The bottom-line growth was driven by strong revenue in the fixed-income trading business. Jefferies’ fixed-income trading revenue was $195.3 million for the quarter, as compared to a negative $18.2 million recorded a year ago. The investment bank’s overall trading revenue for the quarter surged by approximately 86% year-over-year to $343.6 million. Alex Snow’s Lansdowne Partners acquired a new stake of 1.76 million shares of Leucadia National Corp. (NYSE:LUK) during the second quarter.

COO and Board Member at Leader in Avocado Industry Unload Shares

Two corporate insiders at Calavo Growers Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW) also unloaded shares in the past several days. To start with, Kenneth J. Catchot, President and Chief Operating Officer, liquidated 30,000 shares on Friday and 5,647 shares on Tuesday at prices varying from $68.25 to $70.00 per share. Following the recent sales, Mr. Catchot currently owns 435,825 shares. Board member Marc L. Brown discarded 500 shares on Monday and 500 shares on Tuesday at prices that fell between $68.46 and $69.26 per share. Mr. Brown currently holds an ownership stake of 8,750 shares.

The shares of the global leader in the avocado industry and the provider of value-added fresh food are up an impressive 38% since early 2016. Calavo Growers Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW)’s net sales for the nine months that ended July 31 were $688.0 million, an increased of $39.2 million as compared to the same period of the previous year. Richard Driehaus’ Driehaus Capital owned 163,342 shares of Calavo Growers Inc. (NASDAQ:CVGW) at the end of June.

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