ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) Lowered to “Buy” at StockNews.com

ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Separately, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of ICL Group from $4.50 to $4.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 16th.

ICL Group Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ICL traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $4.25. 1,129,331 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 780,595. ICL Group has a 1 year low of $3.79 and a 1 year high of $5.72. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $4.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

ICL Group (NYSE:ICL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The basic materials company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.01. ICL Group had a return on equity of 8.41% and a net margin of 6.08%. The business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that ICL Group will post 0.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ICL Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ICL. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of ICL Group by 103.8% in the first quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 7,093 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 3,612 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ICL Group in the first quarter worth about $54,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of ICL Group in the second quarter worth about $56,000. Callan Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of ICL Group during the 1st quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Greenleaf Trust acquired a new position in shares of ICL Group during the 1st quarter worth about $63,000. 13.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About ICL Group

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.