Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE:MTX) Receives $68.50 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE:MTX) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the three ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $68.50.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Minerals Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Minerals Technologies from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Minerals Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th.

Minerals Technologies Trading Down 0.4 %

Minerals Technologies stock opened at $71.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 2.40 and a quick ratio of 1.69. The company has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.55 and a beta of 1.33. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $72.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.11. Minerals Technologies has a one year low of $48.61 and a one year high of $76.80.

Minerals Technologies (NYSE:MTX) last announced its 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Minerals Technologies 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 given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. Minerals Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jonathan J. Hastings sold 12,922 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 53,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,850,055.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Dj Monagle III sold 1,180 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total transaction of $87,461.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 81,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,006,017.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jonathan J. Hastings sold 12,922 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 53,862 shares in the company, valued at $3,850,055.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Minerals Technologies by 97.9% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new position in Minerals Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Minerals Technologies in the third quarter worth $58,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Minerals Technologies by 1,266.0% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,284 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Minerals Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $158,000. 97.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Minerals Technologies Company Profile

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.