Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on DCI. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Donaldson from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Donaldson from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Donaldson presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.00.

Donaldson Stock Performance

NYSE DCI opened at $68.82 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $8.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Donaldson has a 1-year low of $65.99 and a 1-year high of $78.95. The company has a 50 day moving average of $69.36 and a 200-day moving average of $72.23.

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.01. The firm 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%. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Donaldson will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Trudy A. Rautio sold 14,000 shares of Donaldson stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.60, for a total transaction of $946,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,420 shares in the company, valued at $1,785,992. The trade was a 34.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Donaldson

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in shares of Donaldson during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Donaldson during the third quarter worth $41,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Donaldson by 48.8% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 595 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Donaldson by 43.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Donaldson by 89.6% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 781 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. 82.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.