Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS) gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $28.46, but opened at $27.30. Fresenius Medical Care shares last traded at $27.39, with a volume of 42,387 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FMS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Fresenius Medical Care from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on shares of Fresenius Medical Care in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Fresenius Medical Care in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.80.

Fresenius Medical Care Trading Down 4.3%

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $26.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.71 billion. Fresenius Medical Care had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 6.04%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Fresenius Medical Care AG will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Fresenius Medical Care Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.7871 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This is an increase from Fresenius Medical Care’s previous annual dividend of $0.44. Fresenius Medical Care’s dividend payout ratio is 50.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fresenius Medical Care

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care in the first quarter worth $25,000. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in Fresenius Medical Care during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Fresenius Medical Care by 192.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 424.5% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 234.1% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 2,208 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.37% of the company’s stock.

About Fresenius Medical Care

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.