Sprott Inc. Trims Position in FMC Co. (NYSE:FMC)

Sprott Inc. cut its stake in shares of FMC Co. (NYSE:FMC) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 305 shares during the period. Sprott Inc.’s holdings in FMC were worth $218,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of FMC. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in FMC during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp grew its position in shares of FMC by 186.2% during the 3rd quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp now owns 498 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of FMC by 90.8% in 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 during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of FMC by 65.3% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 959 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in FMC by 34.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 990 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. 91.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FMC Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE FMC opened at $38.21 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $4.77 billion, a PE ratio of 14.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.84. FMC Co. has a 1-year low of $33.80 and a 1-year high of $68.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $47.20 and a 200-day moving average of $56.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

FMC (NYSE:FMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.79 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that FMC Co. will post 3.48 EPS for the current year.

FMC Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.07%. FMC’s payout ratio is currently 85.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on FMC shares. Citigroup upped their target price on FMC from $55.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of FMC from $70.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of FMC from $62.00 to $50.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of FMC from $55.00 to $51.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of FMC from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $78.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FMC news, EVP Michael Finian Reilly sold 2,958 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.25, for a total value of $163,429.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 25,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,107. This trade represents a 10.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

FMC 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.