Brokerages Set The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) Target Price at $27.17

The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twenty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have issued a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.1667.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MOS shares. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their target price on Mosaic from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Mosaic from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of Mosaic in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. Berenberg Bank cut their target price on shares of Mosaic from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Mosaic from $31.00 to $26.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th.

Insider Activity

In other 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 directly owned 116,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,570,299.76. This trade represents a 16.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mosaic

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mosaic by 27.8% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,749 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in Mosaic in the first quarter worth approximately $201,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Mosaic by 170.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 54,176 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after acquiring an additional 34,151 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in Mosaic by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,836 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $725,000 after acquiring an additional 7,760 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Mosaic by 169.3% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.54% of the company’s stock.

Mosaic Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:MOS opened at $25.21 on Friday. Mosaic has a 52 week low of $19.80 and a 52 week high of $36.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $23.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.01. Mosaic had a positive return on equity of 3.77% and a negative net margin of 5.21%.The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Mosaic will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Mosaic’s dividend payout ratio is currently -43.56%.

About Mosaic

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.