FMC (NYSE:FMC) Stock Falls 4.6% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• FMC shares fell 4.6% to about $8.51 in low-volume trading, extending weakness below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: FMC has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.85, while individual targets range from $11 to $18.
• The company beat quarterly EPS expectations but reported a 17.5% year-over-year revenue decline and a steep net loss; it also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, yielding approximately 3.8%.

Shares of FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC - Get Free Report) fell 4.6% during trading on Friday. The stock traded as low as $8.64 and last traded at $8.5060. Approximately 401,397 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 3,882,477 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.92.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of FMC in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of FMC from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of FMC from $15.50 to $12.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays raised shares of FMC from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Mizuho set a $16.00 price target on shares of FMC in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $13.85.

FMC Price Performance

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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -0.38 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $10.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.43.

FMC (NYSE:FMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.04. FMC had a positive return on equity of 11.35% and a negative net margin of 84.83%.The business had revenue of $841.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $895.14 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that FMC Corporation will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current year.

FMC Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. FMC's dividend payout ratio is -1.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in FMC by 99.0% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,726 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of FMC by 3,642.9% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,785 shares in the last quarter. Essential Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of FMC in the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in shares of FMC in the 2nd quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of FMC by 47.7% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,620 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 2,139 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.86% of the company's stock.

About FMC

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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