ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) Reaches New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

ICL Group Ltd (NYSE:ICL - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $6.80 and last traded at $6.72, with a volume of 912434 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ICL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on ICL Group from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com downgraded ICL Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on ICL Group from $6.00 to $7.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th.

ICL Group Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The business's fifty day moving average is $6.11 and its 200 day moving average is $5.44. The company has a market cap of $8.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.87, a PEG ratio of 7.10 and a beta of 1.15.

ICL Group (NYSE:ICL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08. ICL Group had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 5.83%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that ICL Group Ltd will post 0.37 EPS for the current year.

ICL Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $0.0403 dividend. This is a positive change from ICL Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. ICL Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ICL Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in shares of ICL Group by 56.8% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 5,273 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,910 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of ICL Group by 754.0% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 7,447 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 6,575 shares during the period. Foster Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ICL Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $59,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of ICL Group by 223.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 10,715 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 7,405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC bought a new position in ICL Group in the fourth quarter worth $54,000. 13.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About ICL Group

ICL Group Ltd, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty minerals and chemicals company worldwide. It operates in four segments: Industrial Products, Potash, Phosphate Solutions, and Growing Solutions. The Industrial Products segment produces bromine out of a solution that is a by-product of the potash production process, as well as bromine-based compounds; produces various grades of potash, salt, magnesium chloride, and magnesia products; and produces and markets phosphorous-based flame retardants and other phosphorus-based products.