Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS) Announces Annual Dividend of $0.44

Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS) declared an annual dividend on Monday, April 15th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be given a dividend of 0.437 per share on Monday, June 3rd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th.

Fresenius Medical Care has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 5.5% annually over the last three years. Fresenius Medical Care has a dividend payout ratio of 32.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Fresenius Medical Care to earn $1.95 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 30.8%.

Fresenius Medical Care Stock Performance

FMS stock opened at $18.59 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.48. The company has a market capitalization of $10.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Fresenius Medical Care has a fifty-two week low of $16.37 and a fifty-two week high of $27.72.

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.11. Fresenius Medical Care had a net margin of 2.56% and a return on equity of 4.99%. The company had revenue of $5.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.32 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Fresenius Medical Care will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Fresenius Medical Care

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in Fresenius Medical Care by 46.9% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 4,522 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Fresenius Medical Care during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Fresenius Medical Care by 7,250.0% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 74,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,548,000 after buying an additional 73,297 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care in the 4th quarter worth approximately $301,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care during the 4th quarter valued at $329,000. 8.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FMS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley downgraded Fresenius Medical Care from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of Fresenius Medical Care from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.25.

Fresenius Medical Care Company Profile

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.