Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS) Sets New 12-Month Low Following Weak Earnings

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as low as $20.02 and last traded at $20.1560, with a volume of 2653090 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $22.65.

The company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.06). Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA had a return on equity of 8.73% and a net margin of 5.03%.The business had revenue of $5.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.41 billion.

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a $0.8716 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 385.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This is an increase from Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA’s previous annual dividend of $0.79. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA’s payout ratio is 29.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on FMS. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a “moderate sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $28.00.

Institutional Trading of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 398.2% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103 shares during the last quarter. Arax Advisory Partners lifted its position in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 121.6% in the 4th quarter. Arax Advisory Partners now owns 1,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Group One Trading LLC bought a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $74,000. 8.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $11.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The company’s 50-day moving average is $22.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Company Profile

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co KGaA is the world’s largest integrated provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases. The company’s primary business activities encompass the operation of dialysis clinics and the manufacture and distribution of dialysis equipment, dialysis machines, dialyzers, consumables and related therapies. Through its global network of clinics, Fresenius Medical Care delivers comprehensive kidney care, including hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatments, patient education and support services.

In its products segment, the company designs and produces dialysis machines, water treatment systems and disposables such as high‐flux dialyzers and bloodlines.