Intech Investment Management LLC Acquires 51,126 Shares of Nutrien Ltd. $NTR

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management LLC significantly increased its stake in Nutrien Ltd., acquiring an additional 51,126 shares, bringing their total ownership to 69,128 shares valued at approximately $3.43 million.
• A range of institutional investors have also boosted their holdings in Nutrien, highlighting a positive trend in institutional interest, with 63.10% of the stock now owned by hedge funds and other investors.
• Nutrien recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.545 per share, reflecting a 3.8% annual yield, with a payout ratio of 78.14% as of the latest reporting period.

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR - Free Report) by 284.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,128 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 51,126 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Nutrien were worth $3,430,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NTR. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Nutrien by 184.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $608,000 after purchasing an additional 7,934 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Nutrien by 27.6% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,627 shares of the company's stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 1,002 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in shares of Nutrien by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 736,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,607,000 after buying an additional 7,194 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Nutrien during the 1st quarter worth about $517,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Nutrien by 163.7% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,690 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on NTR shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Nutrien from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Nutrien from $61.00 to $60.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Nutrien from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. TD Securities upped their target price on shares of Nutrien from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, National Bankshares initiated coverage on shares of Nutrien in a report on Friday, September 5th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $64.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $62.39.

Nutrien Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NTR traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $56.25. 2,042,488 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,503,822. The company has a market cap of $27.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.77. Nutrien Ltd. has a 52 week low of $43.69 and a 52 week high of $65.08. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

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

Nutrien Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 29th will be given 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 of this dividend is Monday, September 29th. Nutrien's payout ratio is presently 78.14%.

Nutrien Company Profile

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.