Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes Position in Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 17,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $405,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FMS. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Fresenius Medical Care during the 4th quarter valued at about $502,000. Callan Capital LLC acquired a new position in Fresenius Medical Care in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $297,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care in the 4th quarter worth approximately $983,000. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new stake in shares of Fresenius Medical Care during the 4th quarter valued at $4,215,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 18.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 9,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $211,000 after acquiring an additional 1,528 shares in the last quarter. 8.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fresenius Medical Care Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:FMS opened at $28.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $24.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.37. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.71 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Fresenius Medical Care AG will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fresenius Medical Care Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.7871 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Fresenius Medical Care’s previous annual dividend of $0.44. Fresenius Medical Care’s payout ratio is currently 39.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About Fresenius Medical Care

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.