Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Boosts Holdings in Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI) by 163,612.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 106,413 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 106,348 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Donaldson were worth $6,954,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in Donaldson by 578.0% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 9,994 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $653,000 after buying an additional 8,520 shares during the period. ICW Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Donaldson by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,846 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,428,000 after acquiring an additional 786 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Donaldson by 53.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 30,561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,997,000 after purchasing an additional 10,585 shares in the last quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Donaldson during the 4th quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Donaldson by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 77,430 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,060,000 after purchasing an additional 5,176 shares in the last quarter. 82.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Donaldson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DCI traded up $0.62 on Friday, hitting $73.82. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 304,306 shares, compared to its average volume of 467,059. Donaldson Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $57.05 and a 1 year high of $75.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $8.89 billion, a PE ratio of 24.05, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.32.

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The industrial products company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Donaldson had a net margin of 10.82% and a return on equity of 28.52%. The business had revenue of $876.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.34 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.75 earnings per share. Donaldson’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Donaldson Company, Inc. will post 3.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DCI shares. StockNews.com upgraded Donaldson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Donaldson in a report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $59.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Donaldson from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Donaldson currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Donaldson

In other news, Director Willard D. Oberton sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.54, for a total transaction of $330,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 27,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,035,954.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Donaldson news, President Thomas R. Scalf sold 7,680 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.09, for a total transaction of $545,971.20. Following the transaction, the president now owns 34,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,440,804.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Willard D. Oberton sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.54, for a total value of $330,930.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 27,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,035,954.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 79,407 shares of company stock worth $5,817,942 over the last three months. Company insiders own 2.58% of the company’s stock.

About Donaldson

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.