Jefferies Financial Group Issues Positive Forecast for Methanex (NASDAQ:MEOH) Stock Price

Key Points

• Jefferies raised its price target on Methanex to $60 from $50 and maintained a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 13.2% upside from the stock's current price.
• The analyst consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $49.90; brokerages are split (1 Strong Buy, 6 Buy, 5 Hold) and several firms including UBS have also increased targets toward $60.
• Methanex reported a quarterly EPS miss (–$0.14 vs. $0.81 expected) and revenue below estimates, yet the stock rose to $53 on heavy volume while institutional ownership climbed to about 73.5% after large purchases by funds like Wellington.

Methanex (NASDAQ:MEOH - Get Free Report) TSE: MX had its price target hoisted by Jefferies Financial Group from $50.00 to $60.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the specialty chemicals company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price would suggest a potential upside of 13.21% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Methanex in a report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Methanex in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Methanex from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Methanex from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce downgraded Methanex from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $46.00 to $52.00 in a report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Methanex has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $49.90.

Methanex Price Performance

Shares of MEOH stock traded up $2.51 on Wednesday, hitting $53.00. 1,056,133 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 740,584. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 1.37. Methanex has a 12 month low of $25.46 and a 12 month high of $57.93. The stock has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.89 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50 day moving average of $47.92 and a 200 day moving average of $41.12.

Methanex (NASDAQ:MEOH - Get Free Report) TSE: MX last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.14) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.95). The business had revenue of $968.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. Methanex had a return on equity of 5.35% and a net margin of 2.21%.The firm's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.24 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Methanex will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Methanex by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 254,573 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $10,112,000 after acquiring an additional 19,588 shares during the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its position in Methanex by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 1,111,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $44,129,000 after purchasing an additional 119,000 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Methanex by 629.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,316,270 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $92,000,000 after purchasing an additional 1,998,763 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in Methanex by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 55,872 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,216,000 after purchasing an additional 5,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Resource Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Methanex by 157.6% in the 4th quarter. Orion Resource Partners LP now owns 126,323 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $5,011,000 after purchasing an additional 77,291 shares during the period. 73.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Methanex

Methanex Corporation is a Vancouver, Canada–based company and one of the world's largest producers and suppliers of methanol. The company manufactures methanol, a key feedstock for a wide range of chemical products and industrial applications. Methanex markets its product to customers in energy, plastics, paints and coatings, and various chemical sectors, positioning the company as a critical link in the global supply chain for basic chemicals.

The company's core product, methanol, serves as a building block for downstream chemicals such as formaldehyde, acetic acid and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).

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