Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Strong-Buy Rating

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

DCI has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Donaldson from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Donaldson from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Donaldson has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.00.

Donaldson Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Donaldson stock traded up $0.33 on Thursday, reaching $71.71. 480,621 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 475,773. The company has a market capitalization of $8.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.06. Donaldson has a 52 week low of $64.06 and a 52 week high of $78.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.85. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $71.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.60.

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) 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. Donaldson had a net margin of 11.56% and a return on equity of 29.07%. The business had revenue of $900.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $888.88 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.75 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Donaldson will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Donaldson

In other news, Director Trudy A. Rautio sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was 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 $1,785,992. This represents a 34.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of Donaldson in the 4th quarter worth about $17,471,000. KBC Group NV raised its position in Donaldson by 1,447.9% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 42,398 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,856,000 after acquiring an additional 39,659 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Donaldson by 30.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,368 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Donaldson by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 7,057 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $475,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Donaldson by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 41,813 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,816,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.81% 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.