Southern Copper Co. (NYSE:SCCO) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Reduce" by Analysts

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

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SCCO. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its position in Southern Copper by 117.6% in the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 272 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern Copper during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southern Copper in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its stake in shares of Southern Copper by 210.7% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 379 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Southern Copper by 143.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 477 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the period. 7.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Copper Stock Performance

NYSE:SCCO opened at $90.23 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average is $90.39 and its 200 day moving average is $96.52. The firm has a market cap of $71.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a current ratio of 2.77. Southern Copper has a 52-week low of $74.11 and a 52-week high of $126.09.

Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The basic materials company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.14. Southern Copper had a return on equity of 40.27% and a net margin of 29.53%. The firm had revenue of $3.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.05 billion. Research analysts predict that Southern Copper will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Southern Copper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Southern Copper's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.27%.

Southern Copper Company Profile

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.

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