Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Sunday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Donaldson from $96.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $91.00 price target on Donaldson in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Donaldson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.83.

Donaldson Stock Performance

Shares of DCI opened at $97.07 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $89.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.10. The firm has a market cap of $11.25 billion, a PE ratio of 26.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.92. Donaldson has a 12-month low of $72.10 and a 12-month high of $112.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $995.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $973.65 million. Donaldson had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 29.17%. Donaldson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Donaldson will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Donaldson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Donaldson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.41%.

Institutional Trading of Donaldson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DCI. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Donaldson by 3,094.9% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 44,377 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,934,000 after purchasing an additional 42,988 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP acquired a new stake in Donaldson during the 4th quarter valued at $1,494,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. purchased a new position in Donaldson during the fourth quarter worth $17,105,000. Swedbank AB increased its position in Donaldson by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 528,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,821,000 after buying an additional 13,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new position in shares of Donaldson in the fourth quarter worth $2,004,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.81% of the company’s stock.

About Donaldson

Donaldson Company, Inc (NYSE: DCI) is a global provider of filtration systems and replacement parts for a wide range of industries. The company develops and manufactures air, liquid and gas filtration solutions for engine and industrial applications, helping customers improve performance, lower emissions and extend equipment life. Donaldson’s product portfolio includes engine air intake filters, fuel filters, hydraulic filters, compressor filters, dust collection systems and gas turbine air intake systems.

Serving markets such as agriculture, construction, mining, power generation, aerospace and original equipment manufacturing, Donaldson operates through two primary business segments: Engine Products and Industrial Products.