ICL Group Ltd (NYSE:ICL) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

ICL Group Ltd (NYSE:ICL) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,590,000 shares, a decline of 22.8% from the December 31st total of 2,060,000 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 797,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days.

ICL Group Stock Down 0.4 %

ICL Group stock traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $5.90. The stock had a trading volume of 831,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 727,467. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $5.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.56. ICL Group has a 12-month low of $3.79 and a 12-month high of $6.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 1.22.

ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 11th. The basic materials company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.73 billion. ICL Group had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 5.83%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.11 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that ICL Group will post 0.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ICL Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 4th were issued 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 0.90%. ICL Group’s payout ratio is 48.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ICL shares. StockNews.com upgraded ICL Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays raised ICL Group from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $4.00 to $6.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st.

Institutional Trading of ICL Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Savant Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of ICL Group during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its holdings in ICL Group by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 16,479,059 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $81,334,000 after purchasing an additional 2,161,715 shares during the period. Optas LLC raised its stake in shares of ICL Group by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 29,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 6,022 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of ICL Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $504,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in ICL Group by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 60,588 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 19,971 shares during the period. 13.38% of the stock is currently owned by 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.