Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday. The stock traded as low as $18.36 and last traded at $18.3260, with a volume of 514,408 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.82.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Mosaic from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. KeyCorp began coverage on Mosaic in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. They set a “sector weight” rating for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $25.00 target price (down from $27.00) on shares of Mosaic in a report on Monday, October 5th. Zacks Research raised shares of Mosaic from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on Mosaic from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mosaic currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $26.67.

Mosaic Stock Down 3.7%

The company has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.00, a PEG ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.92.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. Mosaic had a positive return on equity of 3.77% and a negative net margin of 5.21%. Mosaic’s revenue was down 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Mosaic Company will post 0.34 EPS for the current year.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 10th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 10th. 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 stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.12, for a total value of $508,760.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 116,198 shares in the company, valued at $2,570,299.76. This trade represents a 16.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mosaic

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MOS. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in Mosaic by 0.6% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 87,609 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,856,000 after buying an additional 489 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 72.9% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,245 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Fortress Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Mosaic during the 2nd quarter worth about $269,000. Tema ETFs LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 6,355 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plan A Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 16,105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 620 shares during the period. 77.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mosaic Company Profile

The Mosaic Company is a global producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. Its products are used by farmers to support plant growth, improve yields and replenish essential nutrients in agricultural soils. Mosaic also produces phosphate-based animal feed ingredients and other crop nutrition products.

Mosaic operates an integrated business that includes mining, processing, manufacturing and distribution. Its phosphate operations are primarily located in the United States, while its potash operations include mining assets in Canada and the United States.