Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $633.6842.

A number of research analysts have commented on TMO shares. HSBC raised Thermo Fisher Scientific from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $580.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $615.00 price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a report on Friday, January 30th.

Insider Transactions at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In other news, COO Michel Lagarde sold 32,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $583.39, for a total transaction of $18,668,480.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 65,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,200,377.20. This trade represents a 32.83% 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 Frederick M. Lowery sold 6,913 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $597.68, for a total transaction of $4,131,761.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,586,868.56. The trade was a 32.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 113,234 shares of company stock valued at $65,896,375. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TMO. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 0.5% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Petros Family Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,095 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $669,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Network Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,256 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $728,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. 89.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Stock Performance

Thermo Fisher Scientific stock opened at $539.45 on Friday. Thermo Fisher Scientific has a 12-month low of $385.46 and a 12-month high of $643.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The company has a market capitalization of $202.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.93. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $589.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $544.35.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The medical research company reported $6.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company 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 earned $6.10 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Thermo Fisher Scientific will post 23.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 6th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical research company to repurchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.