Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning.

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

Fresenius Medical Care Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Fresenius Medical Care stock opened at $18.59 on Tuesday. Fresenius Medical Care has a 52-week low of $16.37 and a 52-week high of $27.72. The company has a 50 day moving average of $19.54 and a 200 day moving average of $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. The company has a market capitalization of $10.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.00.

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $5.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.32 billion. Fresenius Medical Care had a net margin of 2.56% and a return on equity of 4.99%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Fresenius Medical Care will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fresenius Medical Care

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the period. Comerica Bank acquired a new position in Fresenius Medical Care in the second quarter valued at $140,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 7.3% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $185,000 after buying an additional 584 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 6.4% during the third quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 10,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $220,000 after buying an additional 612 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 2.6% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 24,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $578,000 after buying an additional 616 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.25% of the company’s stock.

About Fresenius Medical Care

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.