FMC (NYSE:FMC) Trading Up 4.2% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• FMC shares rose 4.2% to $11.11 in mid-day trading, though trading volume was about 80% below the stock’s average.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: FMC has a consensus “Hold” rating from 14 analysts, with an average price target of $14.25.
• Recent results were mixed: quarterly EPS of $0.26 exceeded estimates, but revenue fell 17.5% year over year to $841.4 million and the company reported a negative net margin of 84.83%. FMC also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, yielding approximately 2.9%.

FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 4.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $11.12 and last traded at $11.11. 775,057 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 3,817,273 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on FMC from $16.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays upgraded shares of FMC from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen raised FMC from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of FMC from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $14.00 target price on FMC in a research report on Friday, July 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, FMC currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $14.25.

FMC Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -0.51 and a beta of 0.38. 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 has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.22.

FMC (NYSE:FMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 positive return on equity of 11.35% and a negative net margin of 84.83%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that FMC Corporation will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FMC Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. FMC's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of FMC by 1,022.7% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,861,482 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $21,407,000 after acquiring an additional 1,695,683 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in FMC during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,498,000. AXQ Capital LP boosted its stake in FMC by 109.9% in the 2nd quarter. AXQ Capital LP now owns 366,661 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,217,000 after purchasing an additional 191,945 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in FMC by 142.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 235,089 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,704,000 after purchasing an additional 138,098 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in FMC in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,175,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.86% of the company's stock.

About FMC

FMC Corporation is a global agricultural sciences company specializing in the development, manufacture and marketing of crop protection products. Its portfolio includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant nutrition solutions designed to enhance crop yield, quality and sustainability. In addition to core crop protection, FMC delivers solutions for turf management and pest control in urban and industrial environments.

Founded in 1883 as the Bean Spray Pump Company and later known as Food Machinery Corporation, the business adopted the FMC name in 1948 and has since evolved through strategic acquisitions and divestitures.

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