Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) Cut to "Hold" at Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Mosaic to “Hold” from “Moderate Buy,” while RBC Dominion Securities lowered its price target to $25 from $27. MarketBeat’s analyst consensus is “Hold,” with an average target price of $26.95.
• Mosaic opened at $21.26, near the lower end of its 52-week range of $19.80 to $36.00. The company’s latest quarterly revenue fell 6% year over year to $2.82 billion, though adjusted earnings of $0.13 per share slightly exceeded estimates.
• Institutional investors own 77.54% of Mosaic, while an executive recently sold 23,000 shares for approximately $508,760. Analysts expect the company to report $0.36 in earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Royal Bank Of Canada from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, Zacks reports.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Mosaic from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Mosaic in a report on Friday, August 7th. RBC Dominion Securities downgraded shares of Mosaic from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $27.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on shares of Mosaic from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Mosaic from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mosaic has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $26.95.

Mosaic Stock Performance

MOS opened at $21.26 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.53, a P/E/G ratio of 5.78 and a beta of 0.91. The business's 50-day moving average price is $23.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.30. Mosaic has a 1 year low of $19.80 and a 1 year high of $36.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. Mosaic's revenue for the quarter was down 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Mosaic will post 0.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mosaic

In related news, SVP Walter Precourt, III sold 23,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.12, for a total value of $508,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 116,198 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,570,299.76. This trade represents a 16.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Mosaic

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Mosaic by 22.2% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 366,466 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $9,345,000 after buying an additional 66,608 shares during the last quarter. Tejara Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Mosaic during the second quarter worth approximately $1,301,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Mosaic by 7.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,486,973 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $63,418,000 after acquiring an additional 170,724 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Mosaic during the second quarter worth approximately $73,112,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 18.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 401,445 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,237,000 after acquiring an additional 62,883 shares during the period. 77.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Mosaic

The Mosaic Company is a global producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. Its products are used by farmers to support plant growth, improve yields and replenish essential nutrients in agricultural soils. Mosaic also produces phosphate-based animal feed ingredients and other crop nutrition products.

Mosaic operates an integrated business that includes mining, processing, manufacturing and distribution. Its phosphate operations are primarily located in the United States, while its potash operations include mining assets in Canada and the United States.

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