Vertical Research Downgrades FMC (NYSE:FMC) to Sell

FMC (NYSE:FMC) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Vertical Research from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $14.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock. Vertical Research’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 3.36% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on FMC. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on FMC from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on FMC from $17.00 to $15.50 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on FMC from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup dropped their price target on FMC from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of FMC in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $19.79.

FMC Stock Performance

FMC stock opened at $14.49 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.81, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.51. FMC has a fifty-two week low of $12.17 and a fifty-two week high of $44.78.

FMC (NYSE:FMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.21 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was down 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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. As a group, analysts expect that FMC will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael F. Barry bought 18,072 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $13.83 per share, for a total transaction of $249,935.76. Following the purchase, the director owned 19,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $271,538.22. This represents a 1,156.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FMC

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in FMC by 290.5% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 97,781 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,288,000 after buying an additional 72,743 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of FMC by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 728,716 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,514,000 after purchasing an additional 43,275 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. increased its stake in shares of FMC by 60.7% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 140,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,708,000 after purchasing an additional 52,900 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of FMC in the 3rd quarter worth $267,000. Finally, Armistice Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FMC in the 3rd quarter worth $204,000. 91.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.