ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Sunday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on ICL. Barclays decreased their price target on ICL Group from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ICL Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $6.23.

ICL Group Stock Performance

NYSE ICL opened at $5.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.33. ICL Group has a 12 month low of $4.85 and a 12 month high of $7.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $5.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.83.

ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09. ICL Group had a net margin of 3.16% and a return on equity of 7.44%. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.77 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that ICL Group will post 0.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of ICL Group during the third quarter worth $1,180,000. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in ICL Group by 14.2% in the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,480,755 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $16,966,000 after buying an additional 308,077 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in ICL Group by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,709,301 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,760,000 after buying an additional 82,436 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in ICL Group by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,792,583 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,006,000 after buying an additional 356,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in ICL Group by 34.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,008,447 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $68,693,000 after buying an additional 2,563,805 shares during the period. 13.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About ICL Group

ICL Group is a global specialty minerals and chemicals company headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. Established in its current form through the consolidation of Israeli government–owned chemical operations, ICL has evolved into a publicly traded entity on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ICL). The company’s origins date back to state-driven mineral extraction in the Negev and the Dead Sea region, and over the decades it has grown through strategic acquisitions, technological innovation and a gradual privatization process completed in the early 2010s.

ICL’s core operations are organized into three principal business areas.