FMC (NYSE:FMC) Trading 4.2% Higher – Should You Buy?

FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) shot up 4.2% on Friday . The company traded as high as $11.12 and last traded at $11.11. 775,057 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 3,817,273 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.66.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of FMC in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Seaport Research Partners set a $21.00 price target on shares of FMC in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Mizuho set a $16.00 price objective on shares of FMC in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of FMC from $15.50 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.25.

FMC Stock Up 5.7%

The firm has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of -0.51 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.99. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $10.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.21.

FMC (NYSE:FMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $841.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $895.14 million. FMC had a negative net margin of 84.83% and a positive return on equity of 11.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.69 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that FMC Corporation will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FMC Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. FMC’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FMC

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FMC. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of FMC by 3,642.9% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,785 shares during the period. Essential Partners LLC bought a new stake in FMC in the first quarter valued at $43,000. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in FMC during the 2nd quarter valued at $55,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in FMC by 297.2% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,264 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 4,687 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in FMC by 3,714.8% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,041 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 8,804 shares in the last quarter. 91.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About FMC

FMC Corporation is a global agricultural sciences company specializing in the development, manufacture and marketing of crop protection products. Its portfolio includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant nutrition solutions designed to enhance crop yield, quality and sustainability. In addition to core crop protection, FMC delivers solutions for turf management and pest control in urban and industrial environments.

Founded in 1883 as the Bean Spray Pump Company and later known as Food Machinery Corporation, the business adopted the FMC name in 1948 and has since evolved through strategic acquisitions and divestitures.