Scharf Investments LLC Sells 132,107 Shares of Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI)

Scharf Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI - Free Report) by 14.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 783,957 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 132,107 shares during the quarter. Donaldson accounts for approximately 1.6% of Scharf Investments LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Scharf Investments LLC owned approximately 0.66% of Donaldson worth $52,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of DCI. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new stake in shares of Donaldson in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Donaldson by 43.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Donaldson by 48.8% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 595 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Donaldson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Donaldson by 89.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 781 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. 82.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James Owens sold 18,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.02, for a total transaction of $1,159,774.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,255,656.92. This trade represents a 48.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on DCI shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Donaldson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $69.00 target price (up from $65.00) on shares of Donaldson in a report on Friday, June 6th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Donaldson from $70.00 to $63.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Donaldson from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.00.

Donaldson Stock Up 0.5%

Donaldson stock traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $69.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 197,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 561,743. Donaldson Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $57.45 and a 52-week high of $78.95. The company has a market cap of $8.09 billion, a PE ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The firm's 50 day moving average is $67.80 and its 200 day moving average is $68.23.

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $940.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $936.02 million. Donaldson had a net margin of 9.94% and a return on equity of 28.86%. The firm's revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Donaldson Company, Inc. will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Donaldson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This is a boost from Donaldson's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. Donaldson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.27%.

About Donaldson

Donaldson Company, Inc manufactures and sells filtration systems and replacement parts worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Mobile Solutions, Industrial Solutions, and Life Sciences. Its Mobile Solutions segment provides replacement filters for air and liquid filtration applications, such as air filtration systems; liquid filtration systems for fuel, lube, and hydraulic applications; exhaust and emissions systems and sensors; indicators; and monitoring systems.