ING Groep NV Reduces Holdings in FMC Co. (NYSE:FMC)

ING Groep NV trimmed its holdings in FMC Co. (NYSE:FMC) by 84.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,944 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 88,750 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in FMC were worth $775,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FMC. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of FMC in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp grew its stake in shares of FMC by 186.2% in the third quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp now owns 498 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of FMC by 34.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 990 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of FMC in the third quarter worth approximately $51,000. 91.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael Finian Reilly sold 2,958 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.25, for a total value of $163,429.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,107. This represents a 10.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

FMC Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:FMC opened at $37.96 on Tuesday. FMC Co. has a 1-year low of $33.80 and a 1-year high of $68.72. The company has a 50-day moving average of $47.69 and a 200 day moving average of $56.57. The firm has a market cap of $4.74 billion, a PE ratio of 13.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

FMC (NYSE:FMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. FMC had a net margin of 8.03% and a return on equity of 9.67%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that FMC Co. will post 3.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FMC Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued 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 dividend yield of 6.11%. FMC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on FMC shares. UBS Group downgraded shares of FMC from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $66.00 to $38.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of FMC from $55.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target (down previously from $61.00) on shares of FMC in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of FMC from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $78.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $52.23.

About FMC

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.