Short Interest in Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS) Grows By 274.6%

Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,610,000 shares, an increase of 274.6% from the April 30th total of 696,700 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 445,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.9 days.

Fresenius Medical Care Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Fresenius Medical Care stock traded down $0.30 on Friday, hitting $28.35. The stock had a trading volume of 709,289 shares, compared to its average volume of 331,955. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $25.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.29. Fresenius Medical Care has a one year low of $17.93 and a one year high of $30.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $16.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.43, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.85.

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $5.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.71 billion. Fresenius Medical Care had a return on equity of 6.04% and a net margin of 3.43%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Fresenius Medical Care will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Fresenius Medical Care Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.7871 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This is a positive change from Fresenius Medical Care's previous annual dividend of $0.44. This represents a dividend yield of 1.9%. Fresenius Medical Care's payout ratio is currently 49.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on FMS. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Fresenius Medical Care in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Fresenius Medical Care from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Fresenius Medical Care in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Fresenius Medical Care has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.80.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fresenius Medical Care

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 192.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 424.5% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,285 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 234.1% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,151 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 2,208 shares during the last quarter. 8.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fresenius Medical Care Company Profile

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.