Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $28.39, but opened at $28.98. Fresenius Medical Care shares last traded at $28.97, with a volume of 32,850 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on FMS shares. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Fresenius Medical Care from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Fresenius Medical Care in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen began coverage on Fresenius Medical Care in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Fresenius Medical Care has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.80.

Fresenius Medical Care Stock Down 1.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $16.78 billion, a PE ratio of 23.64, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.37. The stock's 50 day moving average is $26.81 and its 200 day moving average is $24.75.

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

Fresenius Medical Care Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.7871 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Fresenius Medical Care's previous annual dividend of $0.44. Fresenius Medical Care's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fresenius Medical Care

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FMS. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Fresenius Medical Care during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 192.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group raised 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 worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised 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 worth $71,000 after buying an additional 2,208 shares in the last quarter. 8.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.