The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. has decreased its stake in The Mosaic Company by 0.5%, owning approximately 38.5 million shares valued at over $1 billion as of the latest SEC filing.
• Mosaic's quarterly earnings missed analysts’ expectations, reporting $0.51 EPS against a forecast of $0.71, while revenue was $3.01 billion, falling short of the expected $3.11 billion.
• Institutional investors now hold 77.54% of Mosaic's stock, indicating significant institutional interest in the company despite recent stock performance fluctuations.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS - Free Report) by 0.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,547,586 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 192,812 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 12.16% of Mosaic worth $1,041,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MOS. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mosaic during the fourth quarter worth about $3,599,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in Mosaic by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 140,676 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,458,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Mosaic by 56.7% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 19,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 6,919 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in Mosaic by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 52,757 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,297,000 after purchasing an additional 6,027 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mosaic during the 4th quarter worth $206,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.54% of the company's stock.

Mosaic Trading Up 1.0%

MOS stock traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $32.41. The stock had a trading volume of 1,539,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,575,639. The firm has a market cap of $10.28 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The Mosaic Company has a 12-month low of $22.36 and a 12-month high of $38.23. The company's 50-day moving average price is $35.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.98.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.71 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.11 billion. Mosaic had a return on equity of 4.74% and a net margin of 8.35%. The firm's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Mosaic Company will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Walter F. Precourt III sold 18,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 128,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,592,948.58. The trade was a 12.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MOS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Mosaic from $38.00 to $34.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mosaic from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Mosaic from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $43.00 price target (up from $39.00) on shares of Mosaic in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Mosaic from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.42.

Mosaic Company Profile

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.