Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) Shares Gap Down - Here's What Happened

Shares of The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $36.40, but opened at $34.30. Mosaic shares last traded at $35.12, with a volume of 2,674,869 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MOS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Mosaic from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $40.00 price objective (up previously from $33.00) on shares of Mosaic in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Mosaic from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Mosaic from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $30.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Mosaic to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mosaic presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.58.

Mosaic Stock Down 0.6%

The firm has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm's fifty day moving average is $30.89 and its 200 day moving average is $27.80.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.70 billion. Mosaic had a return on equity of 6.00% and a net margin of 3.24%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Mosaic Company will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. Mosaic's dividend payout ratio is currently 75.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mosaic

In related news, SVP Walter F. Precourt III sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.73, for a total transaction of $643,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 128,546 shares in the company, valued at $4,592,948.58. This represents a 12.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mosaic

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Mosaic in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Mosaic by 169.3% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 601 shares during the period. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in Mosaic in the first quarter worth $27,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Mosaic by 102.3% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,062 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Finally, Tobam acquired a new stake in Mosaic in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 77.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.