Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Mosaic (NYSE:MOS)

The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 15,559 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 60% compared to the average volume of 9,737 call options.

Mosaic Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of Mosaic stock opened at $25.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.24 billion, a PE ratio of 6.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.94. Mosaic has a 1 year low of $22.36 and a 1 year high of $38.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $30.57.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. Mosaic had a net margin of 10.33% and a return on equity of 6.46%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.34 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Mosaic will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Mosaic Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Mosaic’s payout ratio is 22.80%.

Institutional Trading of Mosaic

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MOS. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mosaic by 172.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 684 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank bought a new stake in Mosaic in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Mosaic by 169.3% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 601 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in Mosaic by 650.0% during the second quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 750 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rexford Capital Inc. bought a new position in Mosaic during the second quarter worth about $28,000. 77.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MOS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $27.00 price objective on Mosaic in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. HSBC cut their target price on Mosaic from $35.00 to $26.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Mosaic from $26.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Mosaic in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $28.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Mosaic from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.73.

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.