Merit Financial Group LLC Buys 26,353 Shares of The Mosaic Company $MOS

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) by 90.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,536 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,353 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Mosaic were worth $1,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MOS. Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mosaic during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,969,000. Scotia Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 395.1% in the 2nd quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 87,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,194,000 after purchasing an additional 69,873 shares in the last quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its position in Mosaic by 65.7% in the 2nd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 157,267 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,682,000 after purchasing an additional 62,338 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Mosaic during the 2nd quarter valued at $621,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC bought a new stake in Mosaic during the 3rd quarter valued at $12,678,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.54% of the company’s stock.

Mosaic Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MOS opened at $25.00 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50-day moving average is $25.02 and its 200 day moving average is $30.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 1.14. The Mosaic Company has a fifty-two week low of $22.36 and a fifty-two week high of $38.23.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.01. Mosaic had a net margin of 10.33% and a return on equity of 6.46%. The business had revenue of $3.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.34 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Mosaic Company will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Mosaic Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Mosaic’s dividend payout ratio is 22.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MOS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of Mosaic from $35.00 to $26.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Mosaic from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Mosaic from $49.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Mizuho cut their target price on Mosaic from $31.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Mosaic from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.73.

Mosaic Company Profile

Mosaic Co is one of the world’s leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. The company’s primary business activities center on the extraction, processing and distribution of phosphate rock, phosphate-based fertilizers and potash products. These core nutrients are essential components in modern agriculture, supporting crop yields and soil health across a range of farming applications.

In its phosphate segment, Mosaic operates mining and production facilities that convert phosphate rock into concentrated phosphates, finished phosphate fertilizers and feed phosphates for animal nutrition.