Vanguard Group Inc. Trims Stock Position in The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS)

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its position in The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) by 0.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,547,586 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 192,812 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Mosaic worth $1,041,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MOS. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mosaic in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of Mosaic during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 102.3% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 537 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mosaic during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 114.0% during the 1st quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 3,650 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 1,944 shares during the period. 77.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mosaic Stock Up 1.6%

MOS opened at $32.49 on Tuesday. The Mosaic Company has a one year low of $22.36 and a one year high of $38.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $35.78 and its 200-day moving average is $30.94. The company has a market capitalization of $10.31 billion, a PE ratio of 11.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.12.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.71 by ($0.20). Mosaic had a net margin of 8.35% and a return on equity of 4.74%. The company had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that The Mosaic Company will post 2.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mosaic

In related news, SVP Walter F. Precourt III sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.73, for a total value of $643,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 128,546 shares in the company, valued at $4,592,948.58. This trade represents a 12.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MOS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mosaic in a report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Mosaic from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Barclays raised their target price on Mosaic from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on Mosaic from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Mosaic from $38.00 to $34.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.42.

About Mosaic

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.