Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $629.54 and last traded at $629.2060, with a volume of 1346335 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $621.83.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TMO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Thermo Fisher Scientific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Citigroup raised shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $580.00 to $660.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $635.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $625.47.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Stock Up 0.6%

The company has a fifty day moving average of $584.24 and a 200 day moving average of $521.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $235.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $5.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.50 by $0.29. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a return on equity of 16.97% and a net margin of 15.02%.The business had revenue of $11.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.90 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Thermo Fisher Scientific has set its FY 2025 guidance at 22.600-22.860 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 23.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Thermo Fisher Scientific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.94%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Lisa P. Britt sold 10,225 shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.62, for a total transaction of $5,844,814.50. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 14,145 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,085,564.90. The trade was a 41.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michel Lagarde sold 32,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 65,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,200,377.20. This trade represents a 32.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 149,271 shares of company stock worth $86,507,282 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Thermo Fisher Scientific

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 28.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,409 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,293,000 after buying an additional 988 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 491 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC lifted its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 6.7% in the second quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 640 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 9.4% during the second quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 2,741 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,111,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alesco Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 18.6% in the second quarter. Alesco Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. 89.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.