Wellington Management Group LLP decreased its position in shares of Monsanto Co. (NYSE:MON) by 83.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 433,885 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,143,607 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 0.10% of Monsanto worth $38,069,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Johnston Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Monsanto by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Johnston Asset Management Corp now owns 305,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,114,000 after buying an additional 101,940 shares in the last quarter. BHF Kleinwort Benson Group S.A. raised its stake in Monsanto by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. BHF Kleinwort Benson Group S.A. now owns 102,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,116,000 after buying an additional 14,912 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co. raised its stake in Monsanto by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co. now owns 11,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,172,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden raised its stake in Monsanto by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 30,618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,016,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Finally, Gulf International Bank UK Ltd raised its stake in Monsanto by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 141,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,971,000 after buying an additional 2,940 shares during the period.
Shares of Monsanto Co. (NYSE:MON) traded up 0.69% during trading on Wednesday, hitting $106.75. 1,778,424 shares of the stock were exchanged. Monsanto Co. has a one year low of $81.22 and a one year high of $114.26. The company has a market cap of $46.71 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $105.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $95.84.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 29th. Investors of record on Friday, July 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 6th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%.
MON has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated a “buy” rating on shares of Monsanto in a research note on Saturday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank AG restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (down from $105.00) on shares of Monsanto in a research note on Thursday, April 7th. Vetr upgraded Monsanto from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $91.48 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, April 11th. Berenberg Bank set a $110.00 price objective on Monsanto and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 13th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Monsanto from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Monsanto presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $108.37.
In other Monsanto news, CEO Michael K. Stern sold 12,797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.77, for a total value of $1,302,350.69. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 21,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,196,501.91. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Brett D. Begemann sold 27,980 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.62, for a total transaction of $2,899,287.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 102,480 shares in the company, valued at $10,618,977.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.
Monsanto Company (Monsanto) is a provider of agricultural products for farmers. The Company’s seeds, biotechnology trait products, and herbicides provide farmers with solutions that improve productivity, reduce the costs of farming, and produce better foods for consumers and better feed for animals. It manages business in two segments: Seeds and Genomics, and Agricultural Productivity.
