Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Trading volume surged 152% to 1.97 million shares, versus an average of about 781,000; the stock traded at $22.06, down from its prior close of $22.74.
• Analyst sentiment is cautious: MarketBeat reports a consensus “Reduce” rating, with seven Hold ratings and five Sell ratings, and an average price target of $23.42. Barclays and BNP Paribas Exane recently downgraded the stock.
• Quarterly results were mixed: Fresenius reported EPS of $0.64, slightly below the $0.65 consensus, while revenue of $5.59 billion exceeded analysts’ $5.52 billion estimate.

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS - Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Wednesday. 1,968,625 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 152% from the average daily volume of 780,809 shares. The stock last traded at $22.0640 and had previously closed at $22.74.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lowered Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane lowered Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $19.90 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from $25.50 to $25.80 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $23.42.

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Price Performance

The company's 50 day moving average price is $22.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.91. The company has a market capitalization of $11.89 billion, a PE ratio of 12.91, a PEG ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.65 by ($0.01). Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA had a return on equity of 9.08% and a net margin of 4.23%. The firm had revenue of $5.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.52 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 39.1% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,915 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares during the period. Advisors Preferred LLC lifted its stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 6.1% during the first quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC now owns 10,226 shares of the company's stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 31.5% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,552 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 850 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 27.9% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,632 shares of the company's stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 1,011 shares during the period. Finally, Trek Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 12,350 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares during the period. 8.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Company Profile

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA is a healthcare company focused on treating people with chronic kidney failure. It provides dialysis care through a global network of treatment centers and supports patients who receive care in clinics or at home. The company also develops and supplies products used in dialysis, including dialysis machines, dialyzers, and related medical equipment and materials. Its services include clinical care and support for healthcare providers involved in kidney treatment.

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