Here's Why You Should Retain Mosaic Stock in Your Portfolio

The Mosaic Company MOS is gaining from healthy demand for phosphate and potash and actions to improve its cost structure amid headwinds from weaker fertilizer prices.MOS’ shares are down 23.8% in a year compared with the Zacks Fertilizers industry’s 5.1% decline.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchLet’s find out why MOS stock is worth retaining at the moment.Healthy Demand & Cost Actions Aid MosaicMosaic is well-positioned to gain from the strong demand for phosphate and potash, aided by favorable agricultural conditions. Attractive farm economics is driving demand for fertilizers globally. Farmer economics remains favorable in most global growing regions on strong crop demand and affordable inputs.Demand for grains and oilseeds remains high globally. Improved farmer affordability is also likely to continue to drive demand for fertilizers. Improved crop prices have also incentivized fertilizer application by growers. Strong demand is expected to support the company’s sales volumes. In North America, strong yields, early harvest and growers’ need to replenish soil nutrients have ushered in a favorable environment. Demand in Brazil is also expected to be driven by healthy grower economics and low levels of inventories. Low inventory levels, pent-up purchases and favorable weather conditions are also expected to drive demand in India.The company is taking actions to reduce costs amid a still-challenging operating environment. Its actions to improve its operating cost structure through transformation plans are expected to boost profitability. MOS remains on track with its cost-reduction plan announced last year, which is expected to drive $150 million in run-rate cost reductions by the end of 2025.Mosaic also remains committed to carrying out investments with high returns with moderate capital expenditures. It has completed the 800,000-ton MicroEssentials capacity conversions. The Esterhazy Hydrofloat project, which will add 400,000 tons in milling capacity, is expected to be completed by the middle of next year. The construction of a new blending and distribution center in Palmeirante, Brazil is also expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2025.Soft Fertilizer Prices Weigh on MOS StockWeaker fertilizer prices may weigh on the company’s sales and margins. Prices of phosphate and potash have retreated since the back half of 2022 from their peak levels attained in the first half riding on the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war and disruptions due to the sanctions in Belarus. Lower selling prices hurt the company’s sales in the third quarter. Net sales tumbled nearly 21% year over year to $2,810.9 million in the quarter. While prices have recovered somewhat of late, weaker year-over-year selling prices are likely to continue to dent MOS’s top line in the fourth quarter of 2024.The Mosaic Company Price and Consensus The Mosaic Company price-consensus-chart | The Mosaic Company QuoteMosaic's Zacks Rank & Key PicksMOS currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Methanex Corporation MEOH, Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. AXTA and Ingevity Corporation NGVT, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Methanex’s current-year earnings has increased by 20.7% in the past 60 days. MEOH beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters with the average surprise being 101%. Its shares have gained roughly 11% in the past year.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Axalta Coating’s current year earnings is pegged at $2.15, indicating a rise of 36.9% from year-ago levels. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AXTA’s current-year earnings has increased 3.9% in the past 60 days. The stock has rallied around 26% in the past year. Ingevity beat the consensus estimate in three of the last four quarters while missed once. In this timeframe, it delivered an earnings surprise of 95.4%, on average. NGVT’s shares have gained roughly 21% in the past year.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Methanex Corporation (MEOH): Free Stock Analysis Report The Mosaic Company (MOS): Free Stock Analysis Report Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (AXTA): Free Stock Analysis Report Ingevity Corporation (NGVT): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks