Phibro Animal Health (NASDAQ:PAHC) Shares Gap Up After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Phibro Animal Health Co. (NASDAQ:PAHC) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $22.37, but opened at $23.88. Phibro Animal Health shares last traded at $23.97, with a volume of 29,625 shares traded.

The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.14. Phibro Animal Health had a return on equity of 21.59% and a net margin of 1.67%.

Phibro Animal Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Phibro Animal Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 111.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on PAHC. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Phibro Animal Health from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays upped their price target on Phibro Animal Health from $13.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Phibro Animal Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Phibro Animal Health

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PAHC. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Phibro Animal Health by 5.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 507,469 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,430,000 after acquiring an additional 27,201 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Phibro Animal Health by 25.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 143,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,228,000 after purchasing an additional 29,271 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in Phibro Animal Health by 521.1% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 71,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,606,000 after purchasing an additional 59,850 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Phibro Animal Health by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 39,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $885,000 after buying an additional 7,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Phibro Animal Health by 3.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 24,336 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after buying an additional 729 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.34% of the company’s stock.

Phibro Animal Health Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $21.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 3.23 and a quick ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $959.45 million, a PE ratio of 55.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.52.

About Phibro Animal Health

Phibro Animal Health Corporation operates as an animal health and mineral nutrition company in the United States, Israel, Brazil, Ireland, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Animal Health, Mineral Nutrition, and Performance Products. The company develops, manufactures, and markets various products for food and companion animals including poultry, swine, beef and dairy cattle, aquaculture, and dogs.