Nutrien Ltd. $NTR Shares Acquired by Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec

Key Points

• The Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec has increased its stake in Nutrien Ltd. by 6.5%, now owning 3,825,090 shares valued at approximately $189.8 million.
• Nutrien recently reported an EPS of $2.65 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and showing a 2.8% revenue increase year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.545 per share, representing an annual yield of 3.8%, with the dividend payout ratio currently at 78.14%.

Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec lifted its stake in shares of Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR - Free Report) by 6.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,825,090 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 232,454 shares during the period. Nutrien accounts for approximately 0.9% of Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec owned 0.78% of Nutrien worth $189,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Nutrien by 94.8% during the first quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 715 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Nutrien by 117.1% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 938 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Nutrien by 1,074.7% in the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,022 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 935 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Nutrien by 4,866.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HM Payson & Co. acquired a new stake in Nutrien in the 1st quarter worth about $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.10% of the company's stock.

Nutrien Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:NTR traded down $0.59 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $56.39. 2,574,800 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,270,127. The firm has a market cap of $27.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.21, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.33. Nutrien Ltd. has a 52-week low of $43.69 and a 52-week high of $65.08. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $58.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.09.

Nutrien (NYSE:NTR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.24. Nutrien had a return on equity of 6.51% and a net margin of 5.25%.The business had revenue of $10.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.40 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. The company's revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Nutrien Ltd. will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

Nutrien Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 29th will be issued a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 29th. Nutrien's payout ratio is 78.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on NTR shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on Nutrien from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Nutrien from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Bank of America raised their price target on Nutrien from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. National Bank Financial started coverage on Nutrien in a research note on Friday. They issued a "sector perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Nutrien from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $62.72.

About Nutrien

Nutrien Ltd. provides crop inputs and services. The company operates through four segments: Retail, Potash, Nitrogen, and Phosphate. The Retail segment distributes crop nutrients, crop protection products, seeds, and merchandise products. The Potash segment provides granular and standard potash products.