Sasol (NYSE:SSL) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Sasol gapped up Thursday, opening at $12.66 (from $12.08) and last trading around $12.71 with ~305,415 shares changing hands; the stock is trading well above its 50‑day ($9.31) and 200‑day ($7.41) moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed with a MarketBeat consensus of "Hold" (1 Strong Buy, 3 Hold, 2 Sell); recent moves include Zacks upgrading to Strong‑Buy and UBS downgrading to Neutral.
• Notable institutional buying has occurred recently — JPMorgan raised its stake by 1,627% and Millennium Management increased its position by 75.7% — signaling meaningful inflows from large investors.

Sasol Ltd. (NYSE:SSL - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $12.08, but opened at $12.66. Sasol shares last traded at $12.7050, with a volume of 305,415 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Sasol in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sasol in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised Sasol from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group cut Sasol from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Sasol from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sasol has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Sasol Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The business's 50 day moving average is $9.31 and its 200 day moving average is $7.41.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Sasol by 1,627.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,025,934 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $6,381,000 after buying an additional 966,539 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Sasol by 75.7% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,450,355 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $6,135,000 after buying an additional 624,911 shares during the period. Voleon Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Sasol during the third quarter valued at $3,079,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Sasol in the third quarter valued at about $3,006,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Sasol by 206.2% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 537,250 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,375,000 after acquiring an additional 361,777 shares in the last quarter. 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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