Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

Key Points

• Put option activity rose sharply: Investors purchased 4,906 put options on Thermo Fisher Scientific, 52% above the average volume, suggesting increased near-term hedging or bearish speculation.
• Third-quarter results beat expectations: Revenue increased 9% year over year to $12.14 billion, while EPS of $6.68 exceeded the $6.40 consensus estimate. Shares reached $700.37, near their 52-week high.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: The stock carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $654.05, although insiders have sold shares worth approximately $44.1 million over the past three months.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 4,906 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 52% compared to the average volume of 3,229 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on TMO shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $650.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Thermo Fisher Scientific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, October 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $650.00 price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $720.00 price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Evercore set a $570.00 price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Thermo Fisher Scientific has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $654.05.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TMO traded up $13.00 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $700.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,499,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,257,862. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $640.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $551.25. Thermo Fisher Scientific has a one year low of $435.27 and a one year high of $704.00. The company has a market cap of $258.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.87.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The medical research company reported $6.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.40 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $12.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.95 billion. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a net margin of 15.04% and a return on equity of 17.09%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.79 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Thermo Fisher Scientific will post 25.13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In related news, EVP Michael Shafer sold 25,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total value of $15,300,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,596,400. This represents a 54.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Marc Casper sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $627.05, for a total transaction of $172,438.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 123,925 shares of the company's stock, valued at $77,707,171.25. This represents a 0.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 73,768 shares of company stock worth $44,122,820. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Thermo Fisher Scientific

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $15,501,867,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,974,561,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,952,930,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,472,524 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,239,625,000 after purchasing an additional 22,827 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Thermo Fisher Scientific during the second quarter worth about $1,122,351,000. 89.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Thermo Fisher Scientific

Here are the key news stories impacting Thermo Fisher Scientific this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Thermo Fisher reported third-quarter revenue of $12.14 billion, up 9% year over year and above the approximately $11.95 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS rose 15% to $6.68, beating expectations of $6.40, while organic revenue growth reached 6%. Thermo Fisher Scientific Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Improved margins and double-digit adjusted profit growth suggest operating leverage and resilient demand across the company’s life-science tools and services businesses. The quarter also extended Thermo Fisher’s record of earnings beats. Thermo Fisher posts higher third-quarter revenue and earnings as margins improve
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader bioprocessing market is expected to expand as biologics manufacturing, vaccine production, outsourcing, artificial intelligence and single-use systems gain adoption. This provides a favorable industry backdrop for Thermo Fisher, though the market reports are not company-specific financial guidance. Global Bioprocessing Reagent Market Report 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings and revenue beats, shares initially fell in premarket trading. The decline likely reflected high investor expectations following a strong run-up, as well as potential concerns about whether the results and outlook were strong enough to justify TMO’s premium valuation. TMO Q3 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Investors purchased 4,906 put options, 52% above typical put volume of 3,229 contracts. The activity signals increased near-term hedging or bearish speculation, although options flow alone does not establish a longer-term negative outlook.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Company Profile

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc is a global supplier of laboratory products, analytical instruments, reagents, consumables, software and services used in scientific research, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and industrial applications. The company serves customers ranging from academic institutions and government agencies to hospitals, clinical laboratories and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Its offerings include instruments and systems for genetic analysis, mass spectrometry, chromatography, electron microscopy and materials science, as well as molecular biology reagents, cell culture products, laboratory plastics and research chemicals.

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