The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) Receives $27.17 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $27.1667.

MOS has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Mosaic from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen cut Mosaic from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Freedom Capital cut Mosaic from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research raised Mosaic from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, HSBC reduced their target price on shares of Mosaic from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th.

Mosaic Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of MOS opened at $25.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 1.34. Mosaic has a 52 week low of $19.80 and a 52 week high of $36.99. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.71.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.01. Mosaic had a negative net margin of 5.21% and a positive return on equity of 3.77%. The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Mosaic will post 0.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Mosaic’s payout ratio is -43.56%.

Insider Transactions at Mosaic

In other Mosaic news, SVP Walter Precourt, III sold 23,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.12, for a total value of $508,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 116,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,570,299.76. The trade was a 16.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MOS. Core Capital Management & Research inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mosaic in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,741,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Mosaic by 56.3% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 34,042 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $721,000 after buying an additional 12,259 shares in the last quarter. SailingStone Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Mosaic during the 2nd quarter worth $25,160,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its stake in Mosaic by 154.6% during the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 22,793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $483,000 after acquiring an additional 13,841 shares during the period. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Mosaic by 19.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,885 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $273,000 after acquiring an additional 2,072 shares in the last quarter. 77.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mosaic Company Profile

The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) is a global producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. Its products are used by farmers to replenish essential nutrients in soil and support agricultural yields. The company also produces animal feed ingredients and other phosphorus-based products derived from its phosphate operations.

Mosaic’s operations span the production, processing, distribution and marketing of crop nutrients. Its phosphate business is supported by phosphate rock mining and processing operations, while its potash business includes mining and processing facilities in Canada and the United States.