Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) Reaches New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $40.00 to $46.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Mosaic traded as high as $38.23 and last traded at $37.68, with a volume of 421352 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $37.69.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on MOS. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Mosaic from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Mosaic in a report on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Mosaic from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. BNP Paribas upgraded Mosaic to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Mosaic in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $35.08.

Insider Activity

In other Mosaic news, SVP Walter F. Precourt III sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.73, for a total transaction of $643,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 128,546 shares in the company, valued at $4,592,948.58. This represents a 12.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mosaic

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MOS. Bangor Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Mosaic during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Mosaic by 169.3% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mosaic in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of Mosaic in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Mosaic by 102.3% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,062 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the period. 77.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mosaic Stock Down 1.1%

The stock's fifty day moving average is $34.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.12.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.70 billion. Mosaic had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 4.91%. The firm's revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Mosaic Company will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Mosaic Company Profile

The Mosaic Company, through its subsidiaries, produces and markets concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Phosphates, Potash, and Mosaic Fertilizantes. It owns and operates mines, which produce concentrated phosphate crop nutrients, such as diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, and ammoniated phosphate products; and phosphate-based animal feed ingredients primarily under the Biofos and Nexfos brand names, as well as produces a double sulfate of potash magnesia product under K-Mag brand name.