FMC (NYSE:FMC) Upgraded by Mizuho to “Outperform” Rating

Mizuho upgraded shares of FMC (NYSE:FMC) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note released on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Mizuho currently has $49.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on FMC. Vertical Research upgraded shares of FMC to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on FMC from $62.00 to $50.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on FMC from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com downgraded FMC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 22nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of FMC from $55.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, FMC presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.92.

FMC Stock Performance

Shares of FMC stock opened at $41.19 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.83. FMC has a 52 week low of $32.83 and a 52 week high of $68.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.64. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $39.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $49.06.

FMC (NYSE:FMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. FMC had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 8.03%. On average, analysts expect that FMC will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FMC Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.63%. FMC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FMC news, Director Carol Anthony Davidson purchased 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $37.33 per share, for a total transaction of $223,980.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,980. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ronaldo Pereira bought 5,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $35.77 per share, for a total transaction of $200,312.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 48,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,746,899.49. This represents a 12.95 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FMC

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FMC. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of FMC in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in FMC by 217.4% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 746 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 511 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of FMC in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of FMC during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of FMC by 65.3% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 959 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. 91.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About FMC

FMC Corporation, an agricultural sciences company, provides crop protection, plant health, and professional pest and turf management products. It develops, markets, and sells crop protection chemicals that includes insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides; and biologicals, crop nutrition, and seed treatment products, which are used in agriculture to enhance crop yield and quality by controlling a range of insects, weeds, and diseases, as well as in non-agricultural markets for pest control.