FMC Stock Biggest S&P Decliner After Surprise Q4 Net Loss – Investopedia

Shares of FMC Corp. (FMC) skidded more than 30% Wednesday, making the stock by far the biggest decliner in the S&P 500 after reporting a surprise net loss for the fourth quarter late the day before.

The agricultural sciences company reported $1.22 billion in revenue for the quarter, up slightly from $1.15 billion the same time last year but below the $1.31 billion that analysts had expected, according to consensus estimates from Visible Alpha.

The maker of pest control and herbicide products recorded a surprise net loss of $16 million, or 13 cents per share, compared with the $182.3 million profit forecast by analysts consensus. After accounting for one-time costs like tax adjustments and restructuring charges, FMC’s adjusted profit came in at $224.6 million, or $1.79 a share, better than the $200.49 million and $1.60 per share that analysts had projected.

For 2025, FMC projects revenue of $4.15 billion to $4.35 billion and adjusted EPS between $3.26 to $3.70, the midpoint of each range roughly flat compared with what FMC recorded in 2024. Analysts expect 2025 revenue of $4.22 billion along with $3.47 per share in adjusted EPS.

CEO Says Q4 Growth ‘Below Our Expectations’

The company said the year-over-year swing to a loss was “due to significant one-time tax benefits recorded in the prior year largely driven by tax incentives granted to the company’s Swiss subsidiaries as well as higher valuation allowances on those benefits that were recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024.”

“While we saw a good increase in volume, the growth was below our expectations as we learned during the quarter that customers in many countries sought to hold significantly less inventory than they have historically,” Chief Executive Officer Pierre Brondeau said in a Tuesday statement.

FMC shares tumbled almost 33% in Wednesday intraday trading to $36.33, putting them down more than 40% over the last 12 months and at their lowest point since March 2016.