Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for FMC (NYSE:FMC) Stock Price

FMC (NYSE:FMC) had its target price cut by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $17.00 to $15.50 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 4.87% from the company’s current price.

FMC has been the subject of several other reports. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of FMC from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on FMC from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on FMC from $43.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on FMC from $43.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded FMC from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Two equities 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.29.

FMC Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FMC opened at $14.78 on Friday. FMC has a twelve month low of $12.17 and a twelve month high of $44.78. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $14.50 and its 200-day moving average is $24.86. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.83, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.65.

FMC (NYSE:FMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.21 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.15 billion. FMC had a negative net margin of 64.57% and a positive return on equity of 10.10%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.79 EPS. FMC has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -0.440–0.320 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 1.630-1.890 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that FMC will post 3.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John Mitchell Raines purchased 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $13.77 per share, with a total value of $96,390.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 13,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $189,805.68. This trade represents a 103.18% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FMC

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of FMC by 104.9% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 200,326 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,779,000 after purchasing an additional 102,545 shares in the last quarter. Armistice Capital LLC bought a new stake in FMC during the 3rd quarter valued at $204,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of FMC during the third quarter worth $267,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of FMC by 26.0% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 18,173 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $611,000 after acquiring an additional 3,749 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Trust Co. N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of FMC by 60.7% in the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 140,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,708,000 after acquiring an additional 52,900 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.86% of the company’s stock.

FMC News Roundup

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

FMC Company Profile

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.