Covalis Capital LLP Takes Position in The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS)

Covalis Capital LLP bought a new stake in The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,099,707 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $27,031,000. Mosaic accounts for approximately 3.9% of Covalis Capital LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Covalis Capital LLP owned 0.35% of Mosaic as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Mosaic in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $97,363,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Mosaic by 29.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,507,131 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $332,005,000 after purchasing an additional 3,058,243 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Mosaic by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 11,041,218 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $271,382,000 after purchasing an additional 2,151,426 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Mosaic by 190.8% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,593,914 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $39,178,000 after purchasing an additional 1,045,812 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of Mosaic by 319.2% during the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 825,046 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $20,260,000 after buying an additional 628,251 shares during the period. 77.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MOS shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Mosaic from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Barclays upgraded shares of Mosaic from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $27.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Mosaic from $40.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Mosaic to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Mosaic from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $29.00 in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.42.

Mosaic Price Performance

Shares of MOS traded up $1.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $29.11. 3,461,141 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,610,494. The Mosaic Company has a 52-week low of $22.36 and a 52-week high of $32.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.16. The company has a market cap of $9.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.75, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.04.

Mosaic Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Mosaic's dividend payout ratio is currently 160.00%.

Mosaic Profile

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.