FMC (NYSE:FMC) Downgraded by UBS Group to “Neutral”

FMC (NYSE:FMC) was downgraded by equities research analysts at UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Friday,Finviz reports. They currently have a $38.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $66.00. UBS Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 6.58% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Vertical Research raised shares of FMC to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. KeyCorp reduced their price target on FMC from $79.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Barclays upgraded shares of FMC from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $65.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on FMC from $62.00 to $50.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered FMC from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $78.00 to $47.00 in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.46.

FMC Stock Performance

FMC stock opened at $35.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. FMC has a twelve month low of $34.00 and a twelve month high of $68.72. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $52.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.53. The company has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a PE ratio of 3.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.84.

FMC (NYSE:FMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. FMC had a return on equity of 7.68% and a net margin of 34.93%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that FMC will post 3.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at FMC

In other FMC news, VP Jacqueline Scanlan sold 4,529 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.67, for a total transaction of $270,245.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 28,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,709,485.83. This trade represents a 13.65 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael Finian Reilly sold 2,958 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.25, for a total transaction of $163,429.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,468 shares in the company, valued at $1,407,107. This trade represents a 10.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,491 shares of company stock worth $433,898. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Millburn Ridgefield Corp lifted its position in shares of FMC by 186.2% in the third quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp now owns 498 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of FMC by 90.8% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 517 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. increased its holdings in shares of FMC by 250.6% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 554 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in FMC during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in FMC during the third quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.86% of the company’s stock.

FMC Company Profile

FMC Corporation, an agricultural sciences company, provides crop protection, plant health, and professional pest and turf management products. It develops, markets, and sells crop protection chemicals that includes insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides; and biologicals, crop nutrition, and seed treatment products, which are used in agriculture to enhance crop yield and quality by controlling a range of insects, weeds, and diseases, as well as in non-agricultural markets for pest control.