Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) Stock Price Up 5.8% – Should You Buy?

The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) shot up 5.8% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $28.17 and last traded at $27.7320. 1,974,603 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 6,598,971 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.21.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MOS. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Mosaic from $37.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Mosaic from $38.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on Mosaic from $43.00 to $35.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Mosaic from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Mosaic from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mosaic currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.73.

Mosaic Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $24.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $30.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.86 billion, a PE ratio of 7.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Mosaic Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Mosaic’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mosaic

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Mosaic in the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 34,151 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in Mosaic by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,836 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $725,000 after buying an additional 7,760 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Mosaic by 169.3% in 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 last quarter. 77.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.