Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) Shares Gap Down on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) gapped down prior to trading on Friday after Oppenheimer downgraded the stock from an outperform rating to a market perform rating. The stock had previously closed at $27.58, but opened at $26.48. Mosaic shares last traded at $26.3150, with a volume of 5,446,179 shares trading hands.

MOS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Mosaic from $37.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Mosaic from $39.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Mosaic from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Mosaic from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, HSBC lowered their price target on Mosaic from $35.00 to $26.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mosaic presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.07.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mosaic during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,969,000. Scotia Capital Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mosaic by 395.1% in the second quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 87,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,194,000 after purchasing an additional 69,873 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its holdings in Mosaic by 65.7% in the 2nd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 157,267 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,682,000 after buying an additional 62,338 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mosaic during the third quarter valued at about $12,678,000. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Mosaic in the second quarter worth about $621,000. 77.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mosaic Stock Down 4.5%

The company has a market capitalization of $8.36 billion, a PE ratio of 6.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.33.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.01. Mosaic had a net margin of 10.33% and a return on equity of 6.46%. The company had revenue of $3.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Mosaic Company will post 2.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Mosaic’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.80%.

Mosaic Company Profile

Mosaic Co is one of the world’s leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. The company’s primary business activities center on the extraction, processing and distribution of phosphate rock, phosphate-based fertilizers and potash products. These core nutrients are essential components in modern agriculture, supporting crop yields and soil health across a range of farming applications.

In its phosphate segment, Mosaic operates mining and production facilities that convert phosphate rock into concentrated phosphates, finished phosphate fertilizers and feed phosphates for animal nutrition.