Sasol (NYSE:SSL) Shares Up 5.8% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Sasol shares jumped 5.8% midday to $12.775 with about 1.15 million shares traded, roughly 56% below average volume.
• Analyst sentiment is cautious — the consensus rating is "Reduce" after recent downgrades from Goldman Sachs, UBS and JPMorgan, though Wall Street Zen recently upgraded the stock to a buy.
• The stock is trading well above its technicals (50-day $9.94, 200-day $7.65) and Sasol shows moderate liquidity and leverage (current ratio 1.66, debt-to-equity 0.53), but institutional ownership remains low at 1.21% despite some recent inflows.

Sasol Ltd. (NYSE:SSL - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 5.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $12.77 and last traded at $12.7750. Approximately 1,153,015 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 2,599,353 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.08.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SSL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Sasol in a report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sasol in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Sasol from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group downgraded 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 report on Saturday, March 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce".

Sasol Stock Up 5.2%

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 firm's fifty day moving average is $9.94 and its 200-day moving average is $7.65.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 3,537 shares in the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Sasol in the fourth quarter worth $71,000. Compound Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Sasol in the fourth quarter worth $67,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sasol during the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd increased its stake in shares of 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. 1.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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