Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

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

Fresenius Medical Care Stock Performance

FMS opened at $18.97 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $19.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.42 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $5.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.32 billion. Fresenius Medical Care had a return on equity of 4.99% and a net margin of 2.56%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Fresenius Medical Care will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fresenius Medical Care

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FMS. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 35.6% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 28,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $958,000 after buying an additional 7,470 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in Fresenius Medical Care by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 9,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Fresenius Medical Care by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 4,162 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Fresenius Medical Care by 15.0% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 9,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Fresenius Medical Care by 56.2% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 29,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 10,676 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.25% of the company’s stock.

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.