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

The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders purchased 46,424 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 189% compared to the average volume of 16,057 call options.

Mosaic Stock Performance

MOS traded down $1.67 during trading on Friday, hitting $24.53. The stock had a trading volume of 8,176,820 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,491,319. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.25. Mosaic has a 12 month low of $22.36 and a 12 month high of $38.23. The firm has a market cap of $7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 14.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.95.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.26). Mosaic had a net margin of 4.49% and a return on equity of 5.80%. The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Mosaic will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Mosaic’s payout ratio is presently 52.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MOS. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Mosaic from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. HSBC cut their price target on Mosaic from $35.00 to $26.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Mosaic from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $24.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Oppenheimer set a $35.00 price objective on Mosaic in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their target price on Mosaic from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mosaic in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Mosaic by 1,819.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 806 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 764 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Mosaic in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in Mosaic in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. 77.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mosaic Company Profile

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.