Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 474 Shares of Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE:MTX)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE:MTX) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,830 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 474 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Minerals Technologies were worth $416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Minerals Technologies during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new stake in Minerals Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Minerals Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in Minerals Technologies by 126.1% during the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 997 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Minerals Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $58,000. 97.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Minerals Technologies Trading Up 0.0 %

MTX stock opened at $71.15 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of 27.47 and a beta of 1.33. Minerals Technologies Inc. has a one year low of $48.61 and a one year high of $76.80. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $72.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 2.40.

Minerals Technologies (NYSE:MTX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The basic materials company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.03. Minerals Technologies had a net margin of 3.88% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The firm had revenue of $524.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $506.67 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Minerals Technologies Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Minerals Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 15th were paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. Minerals Technologies’s payout ratio is 15.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MTX shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Minerals Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Minerals Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Minerals Technologies from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Minerals Technologies currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $68.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jonathan J. Hastings sold 12,922 shares of Minerals Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.48, for a total value of $923,664.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 53,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,850,055.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Minerals Technologies news, insider Dj Monagle III sold 1,180 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total transaction of $87,461.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 81,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,006,017.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jonathan J. Hastings sold 12,922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.48, for a total transaction of $923,664.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 53,862 shares in the company, valued at $3,850,055.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Minerals Technologies

Minerals Technologies Inc develops, produces, and markets various mineral, mineral-based, and related systems and services. The company operates through two segments, Consumer & Specialties, and Engineered Solutions segments. The Consumer & Specialties segment offers household and personal care products, such as pet litter, personal care, fabric care, edible oil and other fluid purification, animal health, and agricultural products; and specialty additives products, including precipitated calcium carbonate and ground calcium carbonate products that are used in the paper, paperboard, and fiber based packaging industries, as well as automotive, construction, and table and food applications.