Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Acquires 66,890 Shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. $TMO

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management increased its Thermo Fisher stake by 8.8%—buying 66,890 shares to hold 825,966 shares valued at about $478.6 million, which is 0.22% of the company and the firm's 18th-largest position.
• Thermo Fisher beat quarterly estimates, reporting $6.57 EPS vs. $6.45 expected and $12.22B revenue vs. $11.95B expected (revenue +7.2% YoY); the company has a $184.45B market cap, P/E ~28, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.47 (annual $1.88, yield 0.4%).
• Insider selling and high institutional ownership: the EVP and CEO sold shares (400 and 5,000, respectively), institutional investors own 89.23% of the stock, and analysts carry a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of about $632.50.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO - Free Report) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 825,966 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 66,890 shares during the quarter. Thermo Fisher Scientific accounts for 0.7% of Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned approximately 0.22% of Thermo Fisher Scientific worth $478,606,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,409 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,293,000 after acquiring an additional 988 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 491 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific during the 2nd quarter worth about $170,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 778,822 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $315,781,000 after purchasing an additional 53,542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 602,031 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $244,099,000 after purchasing an additional 2,262 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.23% of the company's stock.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TMO opened at $496.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $184.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 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. The stock's 50-day moving average is $505.33 and its 200 day moving average is $548.85.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The medical research company reported $6.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.45 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.95 billion. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 15.05%.Thermo Fisher Scientific's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.10 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 23.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Increases Dividend

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

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 firm'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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 123,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,499,170. The trade was a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TMO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $683.00 price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific in a report on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $696.00 to $683.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays raised their price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $583.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Thermo Fisher Scientific has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $632.50.

Thermo Fisher Scientific 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.

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