Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. $TMO Stock Holdings Lifted by Ninety One SA Pty Ltd

Key Points

• Ninety One SA Pty Ltd raised its stake in Thermo Fisher by 84.7% in Q4 to 28,192 shares valued at about $16.34 million, making TMO its 21st largest holding; institutional ownership of the stock is ~89.23%.
• Thermo Fisher beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $6.57 (vs. $6.45 expected) and revenue of $12.22 billion (up 7.2% YoY), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.47 ($1.88 annualized, ~0.4% yield).
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $631.25, while individual targets range as high as $700 (one firm lowered its target to $625).

Ninety One SA Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO - Free Report) by 84.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,192 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,925 shares during the quarter. Thermo Fisher Scientific accounts for 0.7% of Ninety One SA Pty Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Ninety One SA Pty Ltd's holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific were worth $16,336,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,091 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,791,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Petros Family Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Petros Family Wealth LLC now owns 456 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Financial Management Network Inc. lifted its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 3.7% during the third quarter. Financial Management Network Inc. now owns 511 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,256 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Red Door Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,156 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,250,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. 89.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:TMO opened at $526.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.89. The company has a market capitalization of $195.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.97. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a 52 week low of $385.46 and a 52 week high of $643.99. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $501.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $550.33.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $6.10 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 23.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.47 dividend. This is an increase from Thermo Fisher Scientific's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Thermo Fisher Scientific's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TMO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $650.00 to $625.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $650.00 target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup raised their target price on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $660.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $583.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Thermo Fisher Scientific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. One investment 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Thermo Fisher Scientific currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $631.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Thermo Fisher Scientific news, EVP Gianluca Pettiti sold 400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $541.20, for a total transaction of $216,480.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 5,000 shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 123,925 shares in the company, valued at $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.

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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