Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Mosaic (NYSE:MOS)

The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 14,502 call options on the company. This is an increase of 50% compared to the typical volume of 9,672 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MOS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Mosaic from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $29.00 in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Mosaic in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Mosaic from $29.00 to $26.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Mosaic from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, CIBC started coverage on Mosaic in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.70.

Mosaic Stock Up 5.4 %

Shares of MOS stock traded up $1.24 on Wednesday, reaching $24.32. 2,753,252 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,741,136. The company has a market capitalization of $7.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.34. Mosaic has a 12-month low of $22.48 and a 12-month high of $33.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 1.19. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $26.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.35.

Mosaic Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Mosaic’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Mosaic’s dividend payout ratio is currently 160.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mosaic

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 110.8% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 587 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Mosaic in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Tobam bought a new position in Mosaic during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mosaic in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Mosaic by 180,900.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,810 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,809 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.54% of the company’s stock.

About Mosaic

The Mosaic Company, through its subsidiaries, produces and markets concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Phosphates, Potash, and Mosaic Fertilizantes. It owns and operates mines, which produce concentrated phosphate crop nutrients, such as diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, and ammoniated phosphate products; and phosphate-based animal feed ingredients primarily under the Biofos and Nexfos brand names, as well as produces a double sulfate of potash magnesia product under K-Mag brand name.