5 Best European Dividend Stocks to Buy Now

2. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS)

Dividend Yield as of October 22: 5.19%

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS) is a Germany-based healthcare company that mainly provides kidney dialysis services to its patients and has over 4,000 outpatient dialysis centers. In 2022, the company announced a 0.7% hike in its annual dividend to €1.35 per share. This was the company’s 25th consecutive year of dividend growth, which makes it one of the best dividend stocks on our list. As of October 22, the stock has a dividend yield of 5.19%.

In October, Morgan Stanley initiated its coverage of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS) with an Equal Weight rating and a €34 price target, presenting a positive stance on the Medtech group. The firm also mentioned that these stocks are among the defensive industry groups.

As of the close of Q2 2022, 8 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey owned stakes in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS), down from 10 a quarter earlier. The consolidated value of these stakes is over $361 million. Pzena Investment Management owned over 13 million shares in the healthcare company in Q2, becoming the company’s major stakeholder.