Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR) Short Interest Up 84.8% in September

Key Points

• Nutrien Ltd. experienced an **84.8% increase** in short interest in September, with a total of **9,720,000 shares** sold short, indicating heightened bearish sentiment among investors.
• The company's stock traded down **2.7%** to reach **$56.04**, while Nutrien reported earnings of **$2.65 per share** for the last quarter, surpassing expectations.
• Nutrien declared a quarterly dividend of **$0.545**, providing a **3.9% yield**, with institutional investors owning **63.10%** of the company's stock.

Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 9,720,000 shares, a growth of 84.8% from the September 15th total of 5,260,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,460,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.0 days. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,460,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.0 days.

Nutrien Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:NTR traded down $1.53 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $56.04. 2,944,573 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,138,759. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.33. The business's 50-day moving average price is $57.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.68. Nutrien has a 12 month low of $43.69 and a 12 month high of $65.08.

Nutrien (NYSE:NTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $10.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.40 billion. Nutrien had a return on equity of 6.51% and a net margin of 5.25%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.34 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Nutrien will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Nutrien Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 29th were paid a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 29th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Nutrien's payout ratio is 78.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Securities boosted their price target on Nutrien from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $67.00 price target on shares of Nutrien in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Nutrien from $61.00 to $60.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Barclays lifted their target price on Nutrien from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Nutrien from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Nutrien presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $62.78.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nutrien

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTR. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Nutrien by 4,866.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Nutrien by 184.1% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $608,000 after buying an additional 7,934 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Nutrien by 78.2% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,078 shares of the company's stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 2,668 shares during the period. Sava Infond d.o.o. raised its position in shares of Nutrien by 50.9% during the first quarter. Sava Infond d.o.o. now owns 35,550 shares of the company's stock worth $1,766,000 after purchasing an additional 11,990 shares during the period. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Nutrien by 36.5% during the first quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,729 shares of the company's stock worth $929,000 after purchasing an additional 5,008 shares during the period. 63.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nutrien Company Profile

Nutrien Ltd. provides crop inputs and services. The company operates through four segments: Retail, Potash, Nitrogen, and Phosphate. The Retail segment distributes crop nutrients, crop protection products, seeds, and merchandise products. The Potash segment provides granular and standard potash products.

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