Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) Lifted to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

Separately, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Fresenius Medical Care currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $32.25.

Fresenius Medical Care Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FMS opened at $19.39 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $11.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $19.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Fresenius Medical Care has a 12 month low of $16.37 and a 12 month high of $27.72.

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $5.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.32 billion. Fresenius Medical Care had a net margin of 2.56% and a return on equity of 4.99%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Fresenius Medical Care will post 1.53 EPS for the current year.

Fresenius Medical Care Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be paid a $0.437 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. Fresenius Medical Care’s payout ratio is currently 45.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fresenius Medical Care

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Comerica Bank bought a new position in Fresenius Medical Care in the second quarter worth about $140,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Hartford Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in Fresenius Medical Care by 98.8% in the fourth quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 1,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 839 shares during the period. Quilter Plc purchased a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care in the first quarter worth about $1,824,421,000. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 8.25% of the stock is owned by 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.