Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) Earns Strong-Buy Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) in a research note released on Friday. The firm issued a strong-buy rating on the stock.

Separately, Morgan Stanley cut Fresenius Medical Care from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Fresenius Medical Care has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $32.25.

Fresenius Medical Care Trading Up 3.0 %

Fresenius Medical Care stock opened at $20.71 on Friday. Fresenius Medical Care has a 1 year low of $16.37 and a 1 year high of $27.72. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $19.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market cap of $12.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.51, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.00.

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.11. Fresenius Medical Care had a net margin of 2.56% and a return on equity of 4.99%. The company had revenue of $5.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.32 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Fresenius Medical Care will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fresenius Medical Care Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.437 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. Fresenius Medical Care’s dividend payout ratio is 45.65%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 20,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC lifted its position in Fresenius Medical Care by 23.7% in the third quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 30,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $647,000 after buying an additional 5,750 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC boosted its stake in Fresenius Medical Care by 16.3% during the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 10,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 1,518 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in Fresenius Medical Care during the third quarter valued at $600,000. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 6.6% in the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 23,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $515,000 after acquiring an additional 1,482 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.25% of the company’s stock.

Fresenius Medical Care Company Profile

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.