Blue Trust Inc. Sells 685 Shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO)

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO - Free Report) by 40.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,024 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 685 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific were worth $533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of TMO. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Barrett & Company Inc. acquired a new position in Thermo Fisher Scientific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Missouri Trust & Investment Co acquired a new position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Thermo Fisher Scientific during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 89.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In other Thermo Fisher Scientific news, EVP Gianluca Pettiti sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.59, for a total value of $175,677.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,582,009.17. The trade was a 1.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Stephen Williamson sold 9,825 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.59, for a total value of $5,753,421.75. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,296 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,984,264.64. The trade was a 26.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,125 shares of company stock worth $11,231,699. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TMO traded down $5.28 during trading on Friday, hitting $532.55. 1,613,862 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,087,588. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a 1-year low of $493.30 and a 1-year high of $627.88. The business's 50 day moving average is $548.47 and its 200-day moving average is $567.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market capitalization of $203.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.77.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $6.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.94 by $0.16. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a return on equity of 17.51% and a net margin of 14.78%. Equities analysts forecast that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 23.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Friday, November 15th that allows the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical research company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.32%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Thermo Fisher Scientific's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Thermo Fisher Scientific's payout ratio is 9.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on TMO. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $767.00 to $718.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $667.00 target price (up from $650.00) on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $632.00 to $622.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $675.00 to $660.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $658.00.

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.