ICL Group Ltd. (NYSE:ICL) Short Interest Up 14.4% in February

ICL Group Ltd. (NYSE:ICL) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,133,195 shares, a growth of 14.4% from the February 12th total of 1,863,958 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,611,147 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,611,147 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Institutional Trading of ICL Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MAI Capital Management raised its position in ICL Group by 2,055.0% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,310 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ICL Group by 351.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 4,014 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ICL Group in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new position in ICL Group in the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in ICL Group in the 3rd quarter worth $69,000. 13.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ICL Group Price Performance

NYSE ICL opened at $5.28 on Thursday. ICL Group has a 12 month low of $4.76 and a 12 month high of $7.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $5.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.69.

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

ICL Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.0465 per share. This represents a $0.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. ICL Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ICL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ICL Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut ICL Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, ICL Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.10.

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.