Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) Trading Down 6.1% on Disappointing Earnings

Shares of The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) fell 6.1% on Wednesday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as low as $26.52 and last traded at $26.7410. 8,790,638 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 29% from the average session volume of 6,799,851 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.49.

The basic materials company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.26). Mosaic had a net margin of 10.33% and a return on equity of 6.46%. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Mosaic’s dividend payout ratio is 22.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on MOS shares. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Mosaic from $38.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wolfe Research lowered their price target on Mosaic from $41.00 to $38.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 16th. HSBC dropped their price objective on Mosaic from $35.00 to $26.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reduced their price target on shares of Mosaic from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Mosaic from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mosaic currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.50.

Institutional Trading of Mosaic

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MOS. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Mosaic by 172.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 684 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mosaic by 169.3% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 601 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in shares of Mosaic by 650.0% during the second quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 750 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mosaic in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Mosaic by 1,819.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 806 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.54% of the company’s stock.

Mosaic Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $8.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.94, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a fifty day moving average of $27.01 and a 200 day moving average of $28.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.40.

About Mosaic

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.