Gradient Investments LLC Reduces Holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. $TMO

Gradient Investments LLC lowered its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) by 27.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,278 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 1,269 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific were worth $1,899,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA increased its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 8.4% in the second quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA now owns 14,490 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,875,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Thermo Fisher Scientific during the third quarter worth $41,393,000. Weaver Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 3rd quarter worth $506,000. VELA Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 65.5% during the 3rd quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 9,305 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,513,000 after acquiring an additional 3,683 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 29.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 276,545 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $134,130,000 after acquiring an additional 62,790 shares during the last quarter. 89.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Price Performance

Shares of TMO opened at $478.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $540.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $548.27. The stock has a market cap of $177.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.96. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a 1-year low of $385.46 and a 1-year high of $643.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.53.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The medical research company reported $6.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.45 by $0.12. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a net margin of 15.05% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The firm had revenue of $12.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 23.28 EPS for the current year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a boost from Thermo Fisher Scientific’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Thermo Fisher Scientific’s payout ratio is presently 10.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In other Thermo Fisher Scientific news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $512.40, for a total transaction of $2,562,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 123,925 shares in the company, valued at $63,499,170. This represents a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Gianluca Pettiti sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $541.20, for a total transaction of $216,480.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,752 shares in the company, valued at $11,230,982.40. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TMO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $685.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $660.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $615.00 price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Thermo Fisher Scientific from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $633.68.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Company Profile

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO) is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, reagents and consumables, software, and services that support research, clinical, and industrial laboratories. The company supplies analytical instruments and laboratory equipment, life sciences reagents and kits, specialty diagnostics, and a broad range of consumables used by researchers, clinicians, and manufacturers. Its offerings also include laboratory information management and data-analysis software, as well as service solutions such as instrument maintenance, validation, and logistics that help customers run complex workflows efficiently.

Thermo Fisher operates through multiple business areas that broadly cover life sciences solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, and laboratory products and biopharma services, including contract development and manufacturing for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.