Brokerages Set Southern Copper Co. (NYSE:SCCO) Target Price at $91.50

Southern Copper Co. (NYSE:SCCO - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Reduce" by the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $91.50.

SCCO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Southern Copper from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Southern Copper from $84.00 to $83.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Southern Copper from $52.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Southern Copper from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Southern Copper from $120.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southern Copper by 117.6% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 272 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern Copper in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new position in Southern Copper in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Copper during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its stake in Southern Copper by 210.7% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 379 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. 7.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Copper Trading Up 1.0 %

SCCO stock traded up $0.86 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $88.32. 253,457 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,210,591. Southern Copper has a 52-week low of $74.11 and a 52-week high of $126.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a current ratio of 2.77. The business has a 50 day moving average of $90.27 and a 200-day moving average of $96.03.

Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The basic materials company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.05 billion. Southern Copper had a net margin of 29.53% and a return on equity of 40.27%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Southern Copper will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Copper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 5th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Southern Copper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.27%.

About Southern Copper

Southern Copper Corporation engages in mining, exploring, smelting, and refining copper and other minerals in Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile. The company is involved in the mining, milling, and flotation of copper ore to produce copper and molybdenum concentrates; smelting of copper concentrates to produce blister and anode copper; refining of anode copper to produce copper cathodes; production of molybdenum concentrate and sulfuric acid; production of refined silver, gold, and other materials; and mining and processing of zinc, copper, molybdenum, silver, gold, and lead.