ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ICL Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of ICL Group from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $6.10.

ICL Group Trading Up 5.2%

Shares of ICL stock opened at $5.05 on Monday. ICL Group has a 52 week low of $4.76 and a 52 week high of $7.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $5.45 and its 200-day moving average is $5.78.

ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.09. ICL Group had a net margin of 3.16% and a return on equity of 7.44%. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ICL Group will post 0.37 EPS for the current year.

ICL Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $0.0465 dividend. This represents a $0.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. ICL Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.35%.

Institutional Trading of ICL Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MAI Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of ICL Group by 2,055.0% in the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,310 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in ICL Group by 351.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 4,014 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new position in ICL Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in ICL Group by 23.7% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,248 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 1,581 shares during the period. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new position in ICL Group during the fourth quarter worth about $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.38% of the company’s stock.

About ICL Group

ICL Group is a global specialty minerals and chemicals company headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. Established in its current form through the consolidation of Israeli government–owned chemical operations, ICL has evolved into a publicly traded entity on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ICL). The company’s origins date back to state-driven mineral extraction in the Negev and the Dead Sea region, and over the decades it has grown through strategic acquisitions, technological innovation and a gradual privatization process completed in the early 2010s.

ICL’s core operations are organized into three principal business areas.