Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. $TMO Shares Purchased by KBC Group NV

Key Points

• KBC Group NV increased its Thermo Fisher stake by 5.2% in Q4, buying 11,953 shares to hold 243,329 shares valued at about $141 million (roughly 0.06% of the company).
• Institutional ownership is high at 89.23%, with major managers like Wellington, BNY Mellon, Franklin Resources and Capital World Investors significantly adding to their positions recently.
• Recent results and outlook: Thermo Fisher beat quarterly estimates (EPS $6.57 vs $6.45; revenue $12.22B), raised its quarterly dividend to $0.47, and carries an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $631.25 price target.

KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO - Free Report) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 243,329 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,953 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.06% of Thermo Fisher Scientific worth $140,997,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of TMO. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,699,460 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,309,292,000 after acquiring an additional 1,270,191 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 54.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,571,857 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,732,422,000 after acquiring an additional 1,262,967 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 21.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,925,671 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,874,069,000 after purchasing an additional 1,028,125 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 89.1% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,752,607 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $720,576,000 after purchasing an additional 825,649 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 7.4% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,285,145 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $4,988,132,000 after purchasing an additional 706,572 shares in the last quarter. 89.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on TMO. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $696.00 to $683.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $653.00 price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Thermo Fisher Scientific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Citigroup boosted their target price on 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, Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $650.00 price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research report on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Thermo Fisher Scientific has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $631.25.

Insider Activity at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In other Thermo Fisher Scientific news, EVP Gianluca Pettiti sold 400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $541.20, for a total transaction of $216,480.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 123,925 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $63,499,170. The trade was a 3.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Price Performance

Shares of TMO opened at $531.69 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.97, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.97. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $502.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $550.12. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a twelve month low of $385.46 and a twelve month high of $643.99. 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 (NYSE:TMO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The medical research company reported $6.57 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $11.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.10 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 23.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Thermo Fisher Scientific's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Thermo Fisher Scientific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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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