Minerals Technologies (NYSE:MTX) Announces Earnings Results

Minerals Technologies (NYSE:MTX) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.01), FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $519.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $517.83 million. Minerals Technologies had a positive return on equity of 10.69% and a negative net margin of 0.08%.

Minerals Technologies Stock Down 1.6%

NYSE MTX traded down $1.08 on Thursday, reaching $65.19. The company had a trading volume of 470,987 shares, compared to its average volume of 164,230. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -3,257.97 and a beta of 1.27. Minerals Technologies has a 52-week low of $49.54 and a 52-week high of $77.75. The company’s fifty day moving average is $62.41 and its 200 day moving average is $61.03.

Minerals Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Minerals Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is -2,400.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Minerals Technologies news, insider Brett Argirakis sold 6,501 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.68, for a total value of $381,478.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 27,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,619,685.36. The trade was a 19.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Dj Monagle III sold 23,093 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.90, for a total value of $1,429,456.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 84,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,221,203.10. This trade represents a 21.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Minerals Technologies

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mariner LLC purchased a new position in shares of Minerals Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $262,000. Jain Global LLC purchased a new stake in Minerals Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $242,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Minerals Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $359,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in Minerals Technologies by 12.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 5,888 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Minerals Technologies by 555.7% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,898 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 4,151 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Minerals Technologies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Minerals Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Underlying profitability and cash flow remained healthy — Q4 operating income was $62M ($67M ex?special items), adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow were positive, and the company returned $73M to shareholders, supporting the view that core operations are resilient. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue was broadly in line or slightly above expectations — Q4 sales of ~$519.5–$520M were essentially flat year?over?year and matched analyst models, indicating stable demand across Consumer & Specialties and Engineered Solutions segments. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported Q4 EPS and company-adjusted EPS differ — reported EPS was presented as $1.19 (or $1.27 excluding special items); Market consensus notes a $0.01 miss on the reported/ex?item comparison, so headline EPS reaction is muted depending on which metric investors focus on. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management emphasizes near?term growth investments and a conference call is scheduled — the call may provide additional detail on growth projects, margins, and litigation exposure; that could swing sentiment depending on tone and forward guidance. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large talc-related reserve clouds reported results — a $215M provision taken earlier in the year to fund talc-related settlements/Chapter 11 matters drove a full?year reported loss per share (-$0.59) despite strong adjusted performance, creating legal and cash?outlook uncertainty. This is the main negative driver for sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Minor EPS headline miss and margin pressure in some product lines — reported EPS missed consensus by about $0.01 on the headline figure and certain product lines (e.g., Specialty Additives, some household categories) showed softer volumes, which can weigh on near?term estimates. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising short interest and higher trading volume amplify downside risk — short interest grew in January and today’s volume was well above average, which can accelerate downward moves if sentiment turns negative. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MTX. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Minerals Technologies in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Minerals Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 18th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Minerals Technologies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.00.

Minerals Technologies Company Profile

Minerals Technologies Inc develops, produces and processes a broad range of mineral-based products and solutions that serve a variety of industrial applications. Its offerings include bentonite, perlite, precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), mineral sands, foundry additives, performance minerals and specialty chemicals designed to enhance performance in markets such as paper, steel, construction, oil and gas, environmental remediation and consumer products.

The company operates through several business segments, including Specialty Minerals, Refractory Minerals, Performance Materials and Recycled Materials.