Mosaic Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:MOS)

The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders acquired 25,438 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 161% compared to the typical volume of 9,734 call options.

Mosaic Stock Performance

Shares of MOS opened at $27.83 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $8.82 billion, a PE ratio of 24.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.34. Mosaic has a 52-week low of $22.48 and a 52-week high of $33.44.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Mosaic’s dividend payout ratio is presently 160.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MOS. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Mosaic in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $31.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Mosaic from $40.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Mosaic from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Mosaic from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Mosaic from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mosaic

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MOS. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 110.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 587 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Mosaic during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Mosaic during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mosaic during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Mosaic by 180,900.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,810 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,809 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.54% of the company’s stock.

Mosaic Company Profile

The Mosaic Company, through its subsidiaries, produces and markets concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Phosphates, Potash, and Mosaic Fertilizantes. It owns and operates mines, which produce concentrated phosphate crop nutrients, such as diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, and ammoniated phosphate products; and phosphate-based animal feed ingredients primarily under the Biofos and Nexfos brand names, as well as produces a double sulfate of potash magnesia product under K-Mag brand name.