StockNews.com Upgrades Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) to Strong-Buy

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

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

Fresenius Medical Care Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Fresenius Medical Care stock opened at $18.59 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.07. Fresenius Medical Care has a 1-year low of $16.37 and a 1-year high of $27.72. The business has a 50-day moving average of $19.54 and a 200-day moving average of $19.48. The company has a market capitalization of $10.91 billion, a PE ratio of 20.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.00.

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) last posted 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. Fresenius Medical Care had a return on equity of 4.99% and a net margin of 2.56%. The company had revenue of $5.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.32 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Fresenius Medical Care will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fresenius Medical Care

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 259.5% in the 3rd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 92,635 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,995,000 after buying an additional 66,864 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Fresenius Medical Care by 14,252.1% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 488,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,173,000 after acquiring an additional 484,998 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Fresenius Medical Care during the third quarter valued at approximately $676,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $542,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.