Mosaic Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:MOS)

The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOSGet Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors purchased 32,092 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 132% compared to the average daily volume of 13,829 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MOS shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Mosaic from $27.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Mosaic from $31.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on Mosaic from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Mosaic from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Mosaic from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.17.

View Our Latest Analysis on Mosaic

Insider Activity at Mosaic

In related news, SVP Walter Precourt, III sold 23,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.12, for a total transaction of $508,760.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 116,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,570,299.76. The trade was a 16.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mosaic

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Mosaic by 169.3% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 601 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in Mosaic in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in Mosaic by 72.9% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,245 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Mosaic in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Gen Wealth Partners Inc purchased a new position in shares of Mosaic during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. 77.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mosaic Price Performance

NYSE:MOS traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $26.21. 7,515,300 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,785,211. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $22.89 and its 200-day moving average is $23.86. The stock has a market cap of $8.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 0.83. Mosaic has a 1-year low of $19.80 and a 1-year high of $36.99.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOSGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Mosaic will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 10th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Mosaic’s payout ratio is presently -43.56%.

About Mosaic

(Get Free Report)

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.

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