ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of ICL Group Ltd (NYSE:ICL) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $5.99 and last traded at $6.00, with a volume of 49686 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised shares of ICL Group from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $4.00 to $6.00 in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ICL Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th.

ICL Group Stock Up 1.9 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.97 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 6.78 and a beta of 1.22.

ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 11th. The basic materials company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.03. ICL Group had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 5.83%. The company had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.73 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.11 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ICL Group Ltd will post 0.37 earnings per share for the current year.

ICL Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 4th were paid a dividend of $0.0133 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 4th. This represents a $0.05 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. ICL Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.39%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in ICL Group by 223.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 10,715 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 7,405 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in shares of ICL Group by 35.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 11,380 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 2,985 shares during the period. Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of ICL Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $56,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in ICL Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in ICL Group during the third quarter worth about $56,000. 13.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ICL Group Company Profile

ICL Group Ltd, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty minerals and chemicals company worldwide. It operates in four segments: Industrial Products, Potash, Phosphate Solutions, and Growing Solutions. The Industrial Products segment produces bromine out of a solution that is a by-product of the potash production process, as well as bromine-based compounds; produces various grades of potash, salt, magnesium chloride, and magnesia products; and produces and markets phosphorous-based flame retardants and other phosphorus-based products.