Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 46,137 Shares of FMC Co. (NYSE:FMC)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in FMC Co. (NYSE:FMC) by 8.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 589,054 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 46,137 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.47% of FMC worth $28,634,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FMC. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FMC during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp grew its position in shares of FMC by 186.2% during the third quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp now owns 498 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of FMC by 90.8% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 517 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of FMC during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of FMC during the third quarter worth about $52,000. Institutional investors own 91.86% of the company’s stock.

FMC Price Performance

Shares of FMC stock opened at $36.65 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $49.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.60. FMC Co. has a one year low of $33.80 and a one year high of $68.72.

FMC (NYSE:FMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. FMC had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 8.03%. Equities analysts expect that FMC Co. will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

FMC Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.33%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. FMC’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on FMC. Redburn Atlantic cut FMC from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $49.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on FMC from $62.00 to $50.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Vertical Research upgraded FMC to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. KeyCorp cut their price target on FMC from $79.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target (down previously from $61.00) on shares of FMC in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael Finian Reilly sold 2,958 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.25, for a total transaction of $163,429.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,407,107. This trade represents a 10.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

FMC Company Profile

FMC Corporation, an agricultural sciences company, provides crop protection, plant health, and professional pest and turf management products. It develops, markets, and sells crop protection chemicals that includes insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides; and biologicals, crop nutrition, and seed treatment products, which are used in agriculture to enhance crop yield and quality by controlling a range of insects, weeds, and diseases, as well as in non-agricultural markets for pest control.