Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) Downgraded to “Buy” Rating by StockNews.com

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

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Donaldson from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Donaldson from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.00.

Donaldson Stock Performance

NYSE DCI traded up $0.48 during trading on Monday, hitting $66.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 575,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 457,928. Donaldson has a 52 week low of $62.77 and a 52 week high of $78.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $72.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.64. The firm has a market cap of $8.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $900.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $888.88 million. Donaldson had a return on equity of 29.07% and a net margin of 11.56%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.75 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Donaldson will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Donaldson news, Director Trudy A. Rautio sold 14,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.60, for a total transaction of $946,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 26,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,785,992. This represents a 34.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Donaldson

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of DCI. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Donaldson by 359.2% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Donaldson in the third quarter worth about $41,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Donaldson by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 605 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Donaldson by 72.0% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 719 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of Donaldson by 221.0% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 696 shares during the period. 82.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.