Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $649.33.

A number of research firms recently commented on TMO. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $680.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $656.00 to $686.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group raised Thermo Fisher Scientific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $670.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $650.00 to $670.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Stock Performance

Shares of TMO stock opened at $529.36 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $202.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.19, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $558.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $575.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Thermo Fisher Scientific has a 12 month low of $488.02 and a 12 month high of $627.88.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The medical research company reported $5.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.25 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $10.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.63 billion. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a return on equity of 17.49% and a net margin of 14.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.69 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Thermo Fisher Scientific will post 21.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Thermo Fisher Scientific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.78%.

Thermo Fisher Scientific announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Friday, November 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $4.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical research company to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In other Thermo Fisher Scientific news, SVP Michael A. Boxer sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.16, for a total value of $1,120,320.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 12,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,134,197.76. This represents a 13.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gianluca Pettiti sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.16, for a total transaction of $168,048.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,333,946.08. This trade represents a 1.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,150 shares of company stock valued at $25,954,465 in the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Thermo Fisher Scientific

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 318.2% during the second quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 46 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 116.0% during the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 54 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.23% of the company’s stock.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc provides life sciences solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, and laboratory products and biopharma services in the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and internationally. The company's Life Sciences Solutions segment offers reagents, instruments, and consumables for biological and medical research, discovery, and production of drugs and vaccines, as well as diagnosis of infections and diseases; and solutions include biosciences, genetic sciences, and bio production to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, clinical, healthcare, academic, and government markets.