Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 382,780 Shares of ICL Group Ltd. $ICL

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in ICL Group by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, adding 382,780 shares and bringing its total holdings to 29.1 million shares worth about $167.1 million.
• ICL Group reported quarterly EPS of $0.09, matching analyst expectations, while revenue came in at $1.70 billion, slightly below estimates of $1.77 billion.
• The company recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.0465 per share, implying an annualized yield of 2.9%, while analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold with a price target of $6.10.

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in ICL Group Ltd. (NYSE:ICL - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,066,383 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 382,780 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc.'s holdings in ICL Group were worth $167,132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in ICL Group by 351.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,157 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 4,014 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP bought a new stake in ICL Group in the third quarter worth approximately $69,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans bought a new stake in ICL Group in the second quarter worth approximately $72,000. Credit Agricole S A bought a new stake in ICL Group in the third quarter worth approximately $72,000. Finally, a16z Perennial Management L.P. bought a new stake in ICL Group in the third quarter worth approximately $80,000. 13.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ICL Group Price Performance

NYSE ICL opened at $6.39 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.46. The company has a market cap of $8.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.56 and a beta of 0.86. ICL Group Ltd. has a 1 year low of $4.76 and a 1 year high of $7.35.

ICL Group (NYSE:ICL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. ICL Group had a net margin of 3.16% and a return on equity of 7.44%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that ICL Group Ltd. will post 0.4 EPS for the current year.

ICL Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.0465 per share. This represents a $0.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. ICL Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 82.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on ICL. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ICL Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of ICL Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ICL Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $6.10.

ICL Group Company Profile

ICL Group is a global specialty minerals and chemicals company headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. Established in its current form through the consolidation of Israeli government–owned chemical operations, ICL has evolved into a publicly traded entity on the New York Stock Exchange NYSE: ICL. The company's origins date back to state-driven mineral extraction in the Negev and the Dead Sea region, and over the decades it has grown through strategic acquisitions, technological innovation and a gradual privatization process completed in the early 2010s.

ICL's core operations are organized into three principal business areas.

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