Sasol (NYSE:SSL) Reaches New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Sasol shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $13.40 (last $13.338) on volume ~619,673 and were reported up about 7%, with the 50-day/200-day moving averages at $9.62 and $7.54 indicating upward momentum.
• The analyst landscape is mixed: one Strong Buy, three Holds and two Sells result in an overall "Hold" consensus, with recent ratings ranging from an upgrade by Wall Street Zen to downgrades from UBS and Goldman Sachs.
• Institutional activity showed notable inflows—SG Americas and JPMorgan Chase materially increased their stakes recently—while hedge funds and other institutions own roughly 1.21% of the stock.

Sasol Ltd. (NYSE:SSL - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $13.40 and last traded at $13.3380, with a volume of 619673 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.48.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sasol from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Sasol in a report on Friday, January 16th. UBS Group cut Sasol from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Sasol from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sasol in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold".

Sasol Trading Up 7.0%

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $9.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $7.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sasol by 240.6% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 261,467 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,626,000 after purchasing an additional 184,704 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Sasol by 1,627.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,025,934 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $6,381,000 after purchasing an additional 966,539 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sasol by 25.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 890,502 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,936,000 after purchasing an additional 180,827 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Sasol in the second quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, PDS Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Sasol in the third quarter worth approximately $77,000. Hedge funds and other 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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