FMC (NYSE:FMC) Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings

Shares of FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $16.99, but opened at $15.09. FMC shares last traded at $12.8570, with a volume of 6,179,565 shares.

The basic materials company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.15 billion. FMC had a positive return on equity of 10.10% and a negative net margin of 64.57%.FMC’s quarterly revenue was down 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. FMC has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -0.440–0.320 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 1.630-1.890 EPS.

FMC Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. FMC’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1.79%.

Trending Headlines about FMC

Here are the key news stories impacting FMC this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized a strategic review and highlighted 2026 priorities, including a $1B debt-reduction initiative — a sale or alternative could command a takeover premium or otherwise unlock shareholder value. FMC press release
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley kept an “equal weight” stance and trimmed its price target to $15.50 — still implying modest upside versus the recent quote, which can support buying interest amid sale speculation. Morgan Stanley PT cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed: price targets vary widely (median near ~$17) and some firms remain constructive while others trim expectations — this produces divergent investor signals rather than a clear consensus. Quiver Quant data & analyst targets
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed revenue and EPS expectations and management issued weak Q1 and FY2026 guidance (Q1 EPS guidance of -0.44 to -0.32 and FY EPS 1.63–1.89 vs. higher consensus) — these are direct hits to near-term fundamentals. Zacks: Q4 miss & guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Moody’s downgraded FMC to junk amid patent challenges, increasing financing risk and investor caution — a material credit rating event that can pressure valuation. Investing.com: Moody’s downgrade

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on FMC. Barclays lowered FMC from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $16.00 to $13.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of FMC in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut FMC from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of FMC from $43.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, UBS Group set a $14.00 target price on shares of FMC in a research note on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at FMC

In other news, Director John Mitchell Raines purchased 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $13.77 per share, with a total value of $96,390.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 13,784 shares in the company, valued at $189,805.68. This represents a 103.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of FMC

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in FMC by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 11,291 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of FMC by 180.1% in the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 815 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its position in shares of FMC by 5.0% in the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 21,279 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $716,000 after buying an additional 1,009 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in FMC by 0.5% during the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 293,690 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,877,000 after buying an additional 1,406 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in FMC by 201.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,076 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 3,391 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.86% of the company’s stock.

FMC Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.85 billion, a PE ratio of -0.83, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $14.50 and a 200 day moving average of $24.99.

About FMC

FMC Corporation is a global agricultural sciences company specializing in the development, manufacture and marketing of crop protection products. Its portfolio includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant nutrition solutions designed to enhance crop yield, quality and sustainability. In addition to core crop protection, FMC delivers solutions for turf management and pest control in urban and industrial environments.

Founded in 1883 as the Bean Spray Pump Company and later known as Food Machinery Corporation, the business adopted the FMC name in 1948 and has since evolved through strategic acquisitions and divestitures.