Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Raises Position in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. $TMO

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 89,411 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 982 shares during the period. Thermo Fisher Scientific comprises about 0.8% of Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific were worth $43,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of TMO. TIAA Trust National Association lifted its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 10.5% during the second quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 123,948 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $50,256,000 after purchasing an additional 11,817 shares in the last quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA increased its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 8.4% during the 2nd quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA now owns 14,490 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,875,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,393,000. Weaver Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in the third quarter worth about $506,000. Finally, VELA Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 65.5% in the third quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 9,305 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,513,000 after acquiring an additional 3,683 shares in the last quarter. 89.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In other Thermo Fisher Scientific news, COO Michel Lagarde sold 32,000 shares of the company’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 owned 65,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,200,377.20. This represents a 32.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gianluca Pettiti sold 400 shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 20,752 shares in the company, valued at $11,230,982.40. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 98,271 shares of company stock valued at $56,920,935 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on TMO. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $656.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $660.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $583.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $653.00 price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $633.68.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TMO opened at $514.20 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.53. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a 12 month low of $385.46 and a 12 month high of $643.99. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $576.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $547.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.93.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The medical research company reported $6.57 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.10 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 23.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Thermo Fisher Scientific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Thermo Fisher Scientific’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Thermo Fisher Scientific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.70%.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Company Profile

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.