D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Buys 16,018 Shares of Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE:IPI)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE:IPI - Free Report) by 25.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 79,162 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,018 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned 0.60% of Intrepid Potash worth $1,735,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Intrepid Potash by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 657,970 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $14,423,000 after buying an additional 28,500 shares during the last quarter. Azarias Capital Management L.P. grew its position in Intrepid Potash by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Azarias Capital Management L.P. now owns 657,464 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $14,412,000 after acquiring an additional 45,446 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Intrepid Potash by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 234,908 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,151,000 after acquiring an additional 3,314 shares in the last quarter. Goehring & Rozencwajg Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Intrepid Potash by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Goehring & Rozencwajg Associates LLC now owns 209,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,803,000 after purchasing an additional 1,272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Intrepid Potash by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 185,844 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,074,000 after purchasing an additional 577 shares in the last quarter. 56.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Intrepid Potash Price Performance

IPI traded up $2.34 on Tuesday, hitting $38.97. The company had a trading volume of 192,223 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,311. The company's fifty day moving average price is $31.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.84. Intrepid Potash, Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.75 and a 1-year high of $39.01. The stock has a market cap of $518.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.63 and a beta of 1.80.

Intrepid Potash (NYSE:IPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.12) by $0.51. Intrepid Potash had a negative net margin of 16.86% and a negative return on equity of 1.32%. The company had revenue of $97.76 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.34 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Intrepid Potash, Inc. will post -0.17 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on IPI. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Intrepid Potash from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Intrepid Potash from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Robert P. Jornayvaz III sold 59,701 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.66, for a total transaction of $2,248,339.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,044,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,323,140.92. The trade was a 5.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders sold 180,689 shares of company stock valued at $5,855,784. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

About Intrepid Potash

Intrepid Potash, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the extraction and production of the potash in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Potash, Trio, and Oilfield Solutions. The company offers muriate of potash for various markets, such as agricultural market as a fertilizer input; the industrial market as a component in drilling and fracturing fluids for oil and gas wells, as well as an input to other industrial processes; and the animal feed market as a nutrient supplement.