Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Trims Holdings in The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS)

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank reduced its holdings in The Mosaic Company by 54.0%, owning 99,863 shares worth approximately $2.7 million after selling 117,252 shares during the first quarter.
• Mosaic's quarterly earnings exceeded analyst expectations with an EPS of $0.49, although revenue was down 2.2% year-over-year at $2.62 billion.
• Analysts have a generally positive outlook on Mosaic, with several firms upgrading their ratings and increasing price targets, leading to an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $36.75.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank decreased its holdings in shares of The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS - Free Report) by 54.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 99,863 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 117,252 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Mosaic were worth $2,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mosaic by 36.1% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 56,284 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,520,000 after acquiring an additional 14,943 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 1.3% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 53,172 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,436,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Mosaic during the first quarter worth about $1,119,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Mosaic by 19.9% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 47,186 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 7,828 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in Mosaic by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 23,543 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 2,663 shares during the last quarter. 77.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mosaic news, SVP Walter F. Precourt III sold 18,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.73, for a total transaction of $643,140.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 128,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,592,948.58. This trade represents a 12.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mosaic Stock Down 12.0%

Shares of MOS traded down $4.27 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $31.41. The stock had a trading volume of 12,852,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,553,557. The company has a market cap of $9.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.10, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.12. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $36.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.81. The Mosaic Company has a 1-year low of $22.36 and a 1-year high of $38.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by ($0.20). Mosaic had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 4.91%. The business had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that The Mosaic Company will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MOS. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Mosaic from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Mosaic from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mosaic in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. BNP Paribas raised Mosaic to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Mosaic from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $36.83.

About Mosaic

The Mosaic Company, through its subsidiaries, produces and markets concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Phosphates, Potash, and Mosaic Fertilizantes. It owns and operates mines, which produce concentrated phosphate crop nutrients, such as diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, and ammoniated phosphate products; and phosphate-based animal feed ingredients primarily under the Biofos and Nexfos brand names, as well as produces a double sulfate of potash magnesia product under K-Mag brand name.