Cosan (NYSE:CSAN) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Cosan S.A. Sponsored ADR shares gapped up from a previous close of $4.28 to open at $4.45, reflecting a current trading price of $4.42 with a volume of 241,164 shares.
• Analysts have mixed views on Cosan, with ratings ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Hold," and a consensus target price set at $12.00.
• Cosan reported a quarterly EPS of $(0.36) against revenue of $1.23 billion, significantly underperforming analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion.

Cosan S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:CSAN - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $4.28, but opened at $4.45. Cosan shares last traded at $4.42, with a volume of 241,164 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CSAN. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Cosan from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Cosan from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Cosan from $6.60 to $5.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $12.00.

Cosan Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $4.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.00. The company has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.02, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.05.

Cosan (NYSE:CSAN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The company reported ($0.36) EPS for the quarter. Cosan had a negative net margin of 28.08% and a negative return on equity of 27.61%. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Cosan S.A. Sponsored ADR will post 0.2 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cosan

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CSAN. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Cosan by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 145,404 shares of the company's stock worth $791,000 after buying an additional 9,990 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in Cosan in the 4th quarter valued at $451,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Cosan during the 4th quarter valued at $126,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in Cosan during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in Cosan by 97.9% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 48,849 shares of the company's stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 24,166 shares during the last quarter.

About Cosan

Cosan SA engages in the fuel distribution business. It operates through Raízen, Compass, Moove, Rumo, and Radar segments. The company's Raízen segment engages in the production, commercialization, origination, and trading of ethanol, bioenergy, renewable sources, and sugar; trading and resale of electricity; and distribution and commercialization of fuels and lubricants.