Sasol (NYSE:SSL) Hits New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Key Points

• 52-week high: Sasol reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $9.45 and last at $9.34 during mid-day trading with about 834,192 shares changing hands, reflecting an intraday gain near 6.4%.
• Analyst stance muted: Despite the rally, the MarketBeat consensus is a Hold after several downgrades (including Goldman Sachs and UBS) and mixed ratings overall (1 Strong Buy, 3 Hold, 2 Sell).
• Technical and balance-sheet snapshot: the stock trades above its 50-day ($7.44) and 200-day ($6.78) moving averages, with a current ratio of 1.66 and debt-to-equity of 0.53, while institutional ownership remains low at about 1.21%.

Sasol Ltd. (NYSE:SSL - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $9.45 and last traded at $9.34, with a volume of 834192 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $8.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SSL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Sasol from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Sasol in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sasol from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Sasol from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sasol in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Sasol Stock Up 6.4%

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $7.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sasol

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sasol in the fourth quarter valued at about $71,000. Compound Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sasol during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Sasol by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 30,526 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 3,537 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sasol in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd boosted its position in Sasol by 202.7% in the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 61,490 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 41,174 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 1.21% of the company's stock.

Sasol Company Profile

Sasol Limited is an integrated energy and chemical company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company's core operations encompass the conversion of natural gas, coal and heavy hydrocarbons into liquid fuels and a wide array of chemical products. Sasol leverages proprietary Fischer-Tropsch and gas-to-liquids (GTL) technologies to deliver cleaner-burning diesel, jet fuel and naphtha, alongside solvents, surfactants and specialty polymers for industrial and consumer applications.

In addition to its GTL business, Sasol operates downstream facilities for the manufacture of alpha olefins, ethylene, propylene and other base-chemical intermediates.

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