Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO) Stock Price

Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO – Free Report) had its target price raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $172.00 to $190.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on SCCO. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Southern Copper in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Southern Copper from $125.49 to $129.94 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Southern Copper from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Zacks Research cut Southern Copper from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern Copper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and seven have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $148.20.

Read Our Latest Report on SCCO

Southern Copper Stock Down 0.5%

SCCO stock opened at $204.27 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $170.43 billion, a PE ratio of 29.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 4.56 and a current ratio of 5.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $198.69 and its 200 day moving average is $184.98. Southern Copper has a one year low of $119.25 and a one year high of $223.88.

Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The basic materials company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.06. Southern Copper had a net margin of 35.87% and a return on equity of 49.04%. The company had revenue of $4.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.37 billion. The company’s revenue was up 40.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Southern Copper will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Southern Copper Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This is a boost from Southern Copper’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Southern Copper’s payout ratio is currently 64.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Luis Palomino Bonilla sold 202 shares of Southern Copper stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.79, for a total value of $39,751.28. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $339,066.65. The trade was a 10.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 704 shares of company stock valued at $138,077. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern Copper

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Southern Copper by 5.2% in the third quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 106,792 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $21,640,000 after acquiring an additional 5,278 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southern Copper by 27.7% in the third quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 12,354 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 2,682 shares during the last quarter. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Copper during the second quarter worth approximately $295,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Southern Copper by 4.9% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,891 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Southern Copper in the 2nd quarter valued at $425,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.94% of the company’s stock.

About Southern Copper

(Get Free Report)

Southern Copper Corp. is an integrated copper producer engaged in the exploration, mining, processing, smelting and refining of copper and other minerals. Its principal products include copper cathodes, copper concentrates, molybdenum, zinc, silver and lead. The company also produces sulfuric acid and other byproducts through its metallurgical operations.

Southern Copper operates major mining and processing assets in Mexico and Peru. Its Mexican operations include the Buenavista del Cobre and La Caridad mining complexes, while its Peruvian operations include the Cuajone and Toquepala mines.

See Also

Analyst Recommendations for Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO)

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