Scharf Investments LLC Acquires New Shares in Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI)

Scharf Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 916,064 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $61,697,000. Donaldson comprises 1.8% of Scharf Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Scharf Investments LLC owned approximately 0.77% of Donaldson at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dudley & Shanley Inc. grew its position in shares of Donaldson by 5,118.4% in the fourth quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 268,750 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $18,100,000 after purchasing an additional 263,600 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in shares of Donaldson in the fourth quarter worth about $17,471,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Donaldson by 5.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,448,879 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $180,522,000 after purchasing an additional 118,156 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Donaldson during the third quarter valued at about $8,513,000. Finally, Capital Counsel LLC NY purchased a new position in shares of Donaldson during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $8,218,000. 82.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on DCI shares. StockNews.com cut Donaldson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Donaldson from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Donaldson from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.00.

Donaldson Stock Up 0.3 %

DCI traded up $0.20 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.15. The company had a trading volume of 118,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 484,568. The company has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.06. The business's fifty day moving average price is $70.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.54. Donaldson Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.60 and a 12 month high of $78.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $900.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $888.88 million. Donaldson had a return on equity of 29.07% and a net margin of 11.56%. Donaldson's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.75 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Donaldson Company, Inc. will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Donaldson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 13th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 13th. Donaldson's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Trudy A. Rautio sold 14,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.60, for a total value of $946,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Donaldson Company 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.