Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) Downgraded by Freedom Capital to Strong Sell

Key Points

• Freedom Capital downgraded Mosaic to “strong sell” from “strong buy,” while Wall Street Zen also lowered its rating to “strong sell.” The broader analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with an average price target of $27.17.
• Mosaic shares opened at $21.74, near their 52-week low of $19.80 and below their 200-day moving average of $24.48. Several analysts recently reduced their price targets, including Barclays to $26 and Wells Fargo to $22.
• In its latest quarter, Mosaic reported adjusted earnings of $0.13 per share, slightly above estimates, but revenue of $2.82 billion fell short of forecasts and declined 6% year over year. Institutional investors own approximately 77.5% of the company’s stock.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Freedom Capital from a "strong-buy" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Mosaic from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Mosaic from $31.00 to $26.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on Mosaic from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Mosaic from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Mizuho set a $25.00 target price on Mosaic in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.17.

Mosaic Price Performance

Shares of Mosaic stock opened at $21.74 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company's 50-day moving average price is $22.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.48. Mosaic has a 52 week low of $19.80 and a 52 week high of $36.99. The stock has a market cap of $6.90 billion, a PE ratio of -10.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.82.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. Mosaic had a negative net margin of 5.21% and a positive return on equity of 3.77%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mosaic will post 0.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mosaic

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MOS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Mosaic by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,123,171 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $942,477,000 after acquiring an additional 461,524 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Mosaic in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $524,484,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,240,050 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $363,110,000 after buying an additional 832,914 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Mosaic by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,174,708 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $317,379,000 after acquiring an additional 240,146 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Mosaic by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 11,840,398 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $285,235,000 after purchasing an additional 2,653,969 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.54% of the company's stock.

About Mosaic

Mosaic Co is one of the world's leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. The company's primary business activities center on the extraction, processing and distribution of phosphate rock, phosphate-based fertilizers and potash products. These core nutrients are essential components in modern agriculture, supporting crop yields and soil health across a range of farming applications.

In its phosphate segment, Mosaic operates mining and production facilities that convert phosphate rock into concentrated phosphates, finished phosphate fertilizers and feed phosphates for animal nutrition.

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