Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Sells 44,309 Shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. $TMO

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its stake in Thermo Fisher by 11.4%, selling 44,309 shares in Q4 and now holds 344,295 shares worth about $199.91 million (≈0.09% of the company).
• Thermo Fisher beat Q4 estimates with $6.57 EPS vs. $6.45 expected and $12.22B revenue vs. $11.95B expected (revenue +7.2% YoY); analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $631.25.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.47 (annualized $1.88, 0.4% yield), insiders including CEO Marc N. Casper sold shares (CEO sold 5,000), and institutional ownership remains high at 89.23%.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH cut its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO - Free Report) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 344,295 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 44,309 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.09% of Thermo Fisher Scientific worth $199,910,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,091 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,791,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Petros Family Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 3.9% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,095 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $669,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Network Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 3.7% in the third quarter. Financial Management Network Inc. now owns 511 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted 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 in the last quarter. 89.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific stock opened at $525.45 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $500.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $550.81. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a 52-week low of $385.46 and a 52-week high of $643.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.89.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 15.05%.The company had revenue of $12.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.10 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 24.64 EPS for the current year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change 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%. Thermo Fisher Scientific's payout ratio is 10.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DZ Bank assumed coverage on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Friday, March 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $610.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $583.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $683.00 target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $650.00 target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $631.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Thermo Fisher Scientific news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Gianluca Pettiti sold 400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $541.20, for a total value of $216,480.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,230,982.40. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. 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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