Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE:MTX) Short Interest Update

Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE:MTX - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 496,700 shares, a growth of 18.1% from the March 15th total of 420,400 shares. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 196,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Minerals Technologies from $101.00 to $92.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of Minerals Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Minerals Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MTX. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Minerals Technologies by 181.1% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 506 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Minerals Technologies by 536.5% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 732 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Minerals Technologies by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,009 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Minerals Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Minerals Technologies by 43.9% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,478 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 451 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.29% of the company's stock.

Minerals Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MTX traded down $5.94 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $52.86. 396,210 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 174,852. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a PE ratio of 10.20 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Minerals Technologies has a 52 week low of $52.40 and a 52 week high of $90.30. The company's 50 day moving average price is $63.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.54.

Minerals Technologies (NYSE:MTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $491.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $502.03 million. Minerals Technologies had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 11.49%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Minerals Technologies will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Minerals Technologies

Minerals Technologies Inc develops, produces, and markets various mineral, mineral-based, and related systems and services. The company operates through two segments, Consumer & Specialties, and Engineered Solutions segments. The Consumer & Specialties segment offers household and personal care products, such as pet litter, personal care, fabric care, edible oil and other fluid purification, animal health, and agricultural products; and specialty additives products, including precipitated calcium carbonate and ground calcium carbonate products that are used in the paper, paperboard, and fiber based packaging industries, as well as automotive, construction, and table and food applications.