Nutrien (NYSE:NTR) Downgraded by UBS Group to Neutral

UBS Group lowered shares of Nutrien (NYSE:NTR) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has $51.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $66.00.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. TD Securities dropped their price target on shares of Nutrien from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. HSBC downgraded Nutrien from a hold rating to a reduce rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Nutrien from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Nutrien in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Nutrien from $55.00 to $52.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $60.67.

Nutrien Stock Performance

NTR opened at $49.05 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $24.26 billion, a PE ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.38. Nutrien has a 1 year low of $44.65 and a 1 year high of $62.53.

Nutrien (NYSE:NTR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.15. Nutrien had a net margin of 2.97% and a return on equity of 6.91%. The business had revenue of $10.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.53 earnings per share. Nutrien’s revenue was down 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Nutrien will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

Nutrien Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 18th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.40%. Nutrien’s dividend payout ratio is currently 126.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nutrien

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTR. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich grew its holdings in Nutrien by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 9,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $461,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its position in Nutrien by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 12,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Nutrien by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,488,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Nutrien by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MONECO Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Nutrien by 2.4% in the second quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 9,791 shares of the company’s stock valued at $498,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. 63.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nutrien Company Profile

Nutrien Ltd. provides crop inputs and services. The company operates through four segments: Retail, Potash, Nitrogen, and Phosphate. The Retail segment distributes crop nutrients, crop protection products, seeds, and merchandise products. The Potash segment provides granular and standard potash products.