Scharf Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI)

Scharf Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 916,064 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,697,000. Donaldson accounts for about 1.8% of Scharf Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in Donaldson during the 4th quarter valued at about $17,471,000. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Donaldson by 1,447.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 42,398 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,856,000 after buying an additional 39,659 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Donaldson by 30.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,368 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in 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 raised its holdings in shares of Donaldson by 0.8% during the fourth 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. 82.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Donaldson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DCI opened at $71.19 on Friday. 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 has a market cap of $8.50 billion, a PE ratio of 20.69, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.06. Donaldson Company, Inc. has a one year low of $64.35 and a one year high of $78.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $70.88 and a 200 day moving average of $72.61.

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.01. Donaldson had a return on equity of 29.07% and a net margin of 11.56%. The company had revenue of $900.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $888.88 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. Donaldson’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Donaldson Company, Inc. will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Donaldson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 13th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. Donaldson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Donaldson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Donaldson from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Donaldson from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.00.

Insider Transactions at Donaldson

In related news, Director Trudy A. Rautio sold 14,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Donaldson 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.