ICL Group Ltd. (NYSE:ICL) Short Interest Update

ICL Group Ltd. (NYSE:ICL) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,056,872 shares, a growth of 43.3% from the February 26th total of 2,133,195 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,293,955 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

ICL Group Price Performance

ICL traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $5.20. 2,255,433 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,705,818. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 30.56 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $5.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.63. ICL Group has a 1-year low of $4.76 and a 1-year high of $7.35.

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

ICL Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.0465 per share. This represents a $0.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. ICL Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ICL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ICL Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ICL Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, ICL Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.10.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ICL Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MAI Capital Management increased its stake in ICL Group by 2,055.0% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,310 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ICL Group by 351.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 4,014 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new stake in shares of ICL Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in ICL Group during the fourth quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in ICL Group in the third quarter worth about $69,000. 13.38% of the stock is currently 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.