Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 643,800 shares, a drop of 27.8% from the September 30th total of 891,600 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 330,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 330,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 15,377,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $382,890,000 after purchasing an additional 94,065 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 50.0% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,083,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,982,000 after buying an additional 361,364 shares during the period. Todd Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA during the 1st quarter worth $12,009,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,479,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 380,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,468,000 after buying an additional 18,061 shares in the last quarter. 8.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on FMS. Wall Street Zen upgraded Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Zacks Research raised shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group lowered shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a “sell” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.80.

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Stock Performance

FMS traded down $0.51 during trading on Monday, reaching $26.33. 635,396 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 353,452. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.92. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA has a 1 year low of $19.86 and a 1 year high of $30.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.59.

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5 billion. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA had a net margin of 3.39% and a return on equity of 6.75%. As a group, research analysts predict that Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA

Fresenius Medical Care AG provides dialysis and related services for individuals with renal diseases in Germany, North America, and internationally. The company offers dialysis treatment and related laboratory and diagnostic services through a network of outpatient dialysis clinics; materials, training, and patient support services comprising clinical monitoring, follow-up assistance, and arranging for delivery of the supplies to the patient's residence; and dialysis services under contract to hospitals in the United States for the hospitalized end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and for patients suffering from acute kidney failure.