B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Lowers Stock Position in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. $TMO

Key Points

• B. Metzler trimmed its Thermo Fisher stake by 4.7% in Q4, selling 29,151 shares and leaving it with 587,350 shares (~0.16% of TMO) worth about $340.8 million, making TMO its 7th-largest holding (3.0% of the portfolio).
• Thermo Fisher beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $6.57 versus $6.45 and revenue of $12.22 billion (+7.2% YoY), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.47 (annualized $1.88).
• Insiders including the CEO and an EVP sold shares recently (5,000 and 400 shares), while analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with a $631.25 target price.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG reduced its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO - Free Report) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 587,350 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 29,151 shares during the period. Thermo Fisher Scientific comprises 3.0% of B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG owned approximately 0.16% of Thermo Fisher Scientific worth $340,786,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 37,654 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $21,819,000 after buying an additional 7,023 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific during the third quarter worth $41,393,000. Weaver Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in the third quarter worth $506,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 29.4% in the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 276,545 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $134,130,000 after purchasing an additional 62,790 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VELA Investment Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $4,513,000 after purchasing an additional 3,683 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In related news, EVP Gianluca Pettiti sold 400 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,230,982.40. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $512.40, for a total value of $2,562,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 123,925 shares of the company's stock, valued at $63,499,170. The trade was a 3.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on TMO shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $615.00 price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $650.00 to $625.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $660.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, DZ Bank initiated coverage on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research report on Friday, March 27th. They set a "buy" rating and a $610.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $631.25.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Stock Down 1.8%

TMO stock opened at $515.04 on Thursday. The company's 50 day moving average is $500.69 and its 200 day moving average is $550.56. The stock has a market cap of $191.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a 1-year low of $385.46 and a 1-year high of $643.99.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The medical research company reported $6.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.45 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $12.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.95 billion. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a net margin of 15.05% and a return on equity of 16.92%. Thermo Fisher Scientific's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.10 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 24.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.47 dividend. 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 yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Thermo Fisher Scientific's payout ratio is currently 10.60%.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

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.

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