FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC – Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 3,446 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 66% compared to the average daily volume of 2,073 call options.
FMC Stock Performance
Shares of FMC stock traded down $2.81 on Thursday, hitting $5.28. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 19,078,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,968,833. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $10.44 and its 200-day moving average is $12.24. FMC has a fifty-two week low of $4.84 and a fifty-two week high of $30.95. The company has a market capitalization of $661.45 million, a PE ratio of -0.24 and a beta of 0.45.
FMC (NYSE:FMC – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $841.40 million during 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 business’s revenue was down 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that FMC will post 1.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
FMC Announces Dividend
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms have recently commented on FMC. Zacks Research downgraded shares of FMC from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of FMC in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Seaport Research Partners set a $21.00 price target on FMC in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on FMC from $15.50 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $4.00 price objective on shares of FMC in a research note on Thursday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.85.
Check Out Our Latest Report on FMC
Institutional Investors Weigh In On FMC
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in FMC by 142.4% during 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 bought a new stake in shares of FMC during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,175,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of FMC during the 2nd quarter worth $8,498,000. AXQ Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of FMC by 109.9% during the 2nd quarter. AXQ Capital LP now owns 366,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,217,000 after purchasing an additional 191,945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of FMC by 379.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 65,414 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $752,000 after purchasing an additional 51,768 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.86% of the company’s stock.
More FMC News
Here are the key news stories impacting FMC this week:
- Positive Sentiment: FMC announced commercial actions intended to accelerate the movement of products through distribution channels and support future replenishment demand. The measures include price reductions on selected products in Brazil, Argentina, the United States and Canada, as well as changes to the U.S. selling and pricing model. FMC third-quarter update and commercial actions
- Positive Sentiment: Some investors may view the roughly 66% increase in typical call-option activity as a sign of speculative interest or expectations of a rebound, although options activity does not change FMC’s underlying financial outlook.
- Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada lowered its FMC price target from $11 to $9 while maintaining a “sector perform” rating. The target remains above the recent trading level, but the reduction reflects heightened uncertainty.
- Negative Sentiment: FMC now expects third-quarter revenue of only $65 million to $125 million and adjusted EBITDA of negative $565 million to negative $510 million. The revised outlook includes approximately $625 million to $675 million of charges from commercial actions, compared with analysts’ prior revenue expectations of roughly $865 million. FMC cuts revenue outlook
- Negative Sentiment: The company cited challenging market conditions and elevated inventories of higher-priced FMC products, which are restricting product movement and reducing replenishment demand. FMC also expects to discuss potential covenant modifications with its lenders, adding balance-sheet risk to the earnings shock.
- Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced investigations into whether FMC complied with federal securities laws. These announcements do not establish wrongdoing, but they add legal and reputational uncertainty after the guidance disclosure. FMC investor investigation
FMC Company Profile
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.
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