22,144 Shares in Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS) Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new position in Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 22,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $501,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Fresenius Medical Care by 192.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Fresenius Medical Care by 234.1% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,151 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 2,208 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Fresenius Medical Care by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 2,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Fresenius Medical Care by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares during the period. 8.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fresenius Medical Care Stock Up 1.1 %

Fresenius Medical Care stock opened at $28.37 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $24.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $16.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.85. Fresenius Medical Care AG has a 52 week low of $17.93 and a 52 week high of $28.59.

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.01. Fresenius Medical Care had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 6.04%. The firm had revenue of $5.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fresenius Medical Care AG will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Fresenius Medical Care Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.7871 per share. This is a positive change from Fresenius Medical Care’s previous annual dividend of $0.44. This represents a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Fresenius Medical Care’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Fresenius Medical Care from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th.

Fresenius Medical Care 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.