Lee Danner & Bass Inc. Makes New Investment in Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI)

Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,350 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $91,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Donaldson by 43.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Donaldson by 89.6% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 781 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Donaldson by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 925 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Donaldson by 45.0% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Donaldson in the 4th quarter worth about $105,000. 82.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DCI. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Donaldson from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com cut Donaldson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Donaldson from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Donaldson currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.00.

Donaldson Stock Performance

Donaldson stock opened at $67.31 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $69.56 and its 200 day moving average is $71.65. The company has a market capitalization of $8.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.57, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.04. Donaldson Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.10 and a twelve month high of $78.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $870.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $908.32 million. Donaldson had a return on equity of 29.07% and a net margin of 11.56%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Donaldson Company, Inc. will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Donaldson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 13th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 13th. Donaldson’s payout ratio is 31.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Donaldson news, Director Trudy A. Rautio sold 14,000 shares of Donaldson stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.60, for a total value of $946,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,785,992. This trade represents a 34.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Thomas R. Scalf sold 28,500 shares of Donaldson stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.22, for a total value of $1,972,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 28,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,961,279.48. The trade was a 50.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 72,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,951,425. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Donaldson Profile

Donaldson Company, Inc manufactures and sells filtration systems and replacement parts worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Mobile Solutions, Industrial Solutions, and Life Sciences. Its Mobile Solutions segment provides replacement filters for air and liquid filtration applications, such as air filtration systems; liquid filtration systems for fuel, lube, and hydraulic applications; exhaust and emissions systems and sensors; indicators; and monitoring systems.