Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) Stock Moved Down to Hold by Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday,Zacks reports.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on MOS. Mizuho set a $25.00 price objective on Mosaic in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on Mosaic from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Freedom Capital downgraded Mosaic from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Mosaic from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Mosaic from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mosaic presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $26.95.

Mosaic Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of MOS stock opened at $21.26 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.78 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $23.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.30. Mosaic has a fifty-two week low of $19.80 and a fifty-two week high of $36.00.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.13 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Mosaic will post 0.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders 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 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 10th. Mosaic’s payout ratio is -43.56%.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mosaic

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MOS. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Fortress Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Mosaic in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $269,000. Tema ETFs LLC raised its position in Mosaic by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 6,355 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantum Portfolio Management LLC raised its position in Mosaic by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC now owns 11,506 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.54% of the company’s stock.

About Mosaic

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.