FMC Co. (NYSE:FMC) Shares Purchased by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of FMC Co. (NYSE:FMC) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,766 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 437 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in FMC were worth $377,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of FMC in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp increased its stake in shares of FMC by 186.2% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of FMC by 65.3% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 959 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in FMC by 34.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 990 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in FMC during the third quarter worth approximately $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.86% of the company’s stock.

FMC Price Performance

FMC stock opened at $42.26 on Tuesday. FMC Co. has a 52 week low of $33.80 and a 52 week high of $68.72. The business’s fifty day moving average is $42.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93.

FMC (NYSE:FMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. FMC had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 8.03%. Equities research analysts forecast that FMC Co. will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FMC Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.49%. FMC’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at FMC

In related news, Director Carol Anthony Davidson acquired 6,000 shares of FMC stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $37.33 per share, with a total value of $223,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,000 shares in the company, valued at $223,980. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Finian Reilly sold 2,958 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.25, for a total value of $163,429.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,107. This trade represents a 10.41 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on FMC. UBS Group lowered FMC from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $38.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of FMC from $70.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of FMC from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $49.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Vertical Research raised shares of FMC to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of FMC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.15.

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.