FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.38.

FMC has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of FMC in a report on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research downgraded FMC from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays upgraded FMC from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on FMC from $15.50 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of FMC from $16.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st.

FMC Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:FMC opened at $8.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.57. FMC has a twelve month low of $8.33 and a twelve month high of $32.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of -0.38 and a beta of 0.45.

FMC (NYSE:FMC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.04. FMC had a negative net margin of 84.83% and a positive return on equity of 11.35%. The firm had revenue of $841.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $895.14 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.69 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that FMC will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FMC Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. FMC’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FMC

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FMC. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of FMC during the second quarter worth $8,498,000. AXQ Capital LP lifted its stake in shares of FMC by 109.9% in the 2nd quarter. AXQ Capital LP now owns 366,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,217,000 after acquiring an additional 191,945 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of FMC by 142.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 235,089 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,704,000 after acquiring an additional 138,098 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of FMC in the second quarter valued at about $1,175,000. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of FMC in the first quarter valued at about $1,401,000. 91.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About FMC

FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC) is an agricultural sciences company that develops, manufactures and markets crop protection products for farmers and other agricultural professionals. Its portfolio includes herbicides, insecticides and fungicides used to help protect crops from weeds, insects and diseases.

The company also develops biological and other crop health solutions, supported by research in areas such as plant science, chemistry and biotechnology. FMC’s products are used across a range of crops and growing conditions, and the company serves agricultural markets in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and other regions worldwide.

FMC traces its origins to 1883 and has evolved through acquisitions and investments in agricultural technology into a focused crop protection company.