Orin
TMONYSE·Medical - Diagnostics & Research

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. TMO

Market cap $245.5BP/E 35.7× trailingGross margin 41.0%Reports Wed 28 Oct, before the open
$664.02
−1.28 (−0.19%)live 09:35 ET
52-wk $435.27 – $671.47
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Orin's take
0.62conviction · moderate
Refreshed 18 Aug · take v6. A new filing or a print queues the next refresh.

Thermo Fisher's revenue recovery to $44.6B in FY2025 with 3.9% YoY growth and a strong Q2 2026 showing 10% reported revenue growth and 5% organic growth support the biopharma turnaround narrative, but structural margin erosion remains unresolved: gross margin has compressed from 50.1% in FY2021 to 37.7% in FY2025, and FCF declined to $6.3B from $7.0B over the same period. The stock at $585.51 trades at a 31.4x PE, an 11.4% discount to the peer median of 35.5x, which is reasonable but not deeply compelling given total debt of $39.4B and persistent insider net selling of $104M over 24 months.

With RSI at 60.9 and the MACD histogram turning negative, near-term momentum is cooling after a significant run from the 50-day MA of $530.86, keeping risk/reward balanced rather than attractive.

What could go wrong

  • Margin compression persists. Gross margin fell from 50.1% in FY2021 to 37.7% in FY2025 and operating margin from 26.3% to 18.2%; if this trend continues despite revenue growth, earnings quality deteriorates further.
  • Leverage and FCF pressure. Total debt rose to $39.4B in FY2025 while FCF declined to $6.3B from $7.0B in FY2021, limiting financial flexibility for continued M&A-driven strategy.
  • Insider distribution. Over 24 months insiders net sold 60,750 shares for $104M; recent August 2026 option exercises by EVP Shafer were immediately sold at $600/share, signaling limited insider conviction at current prices.
  • Valuation re-rating risk. EV/EBITDA of 23.4x sits 5.7% above the peer median of 22.2x despite inferior margin trends, leaving room for multiple compression if growth disappoints.

What would change my mind

Gross margin stabilization. Q3 2026 gross margin inflects above 38% with management confirming margin recovery on the earnings callbullish
Organic growth acceleration. Q3 2026 organic growth exceeds 6% with Pharma & Biotech end markets accelerating beyond mid-single digitsbullish
FCF deterioration. Full-year 2026 FCF guidance is cut below $6.0B or capex spikes materially above the FY2025 $1.5B levelbearish
Smart money exodus. 13F composite for Q3 2026 shows fund count declining below 65 and smart money score turning negativebearish

Where this comes from: FMP annual fundamentals + derived_metrics, FY2025 · derived_metrics, FY2021 and FY2025 · FMP annual fundamentals, FY2021 and FY2025 · FMP annual fundamentals, FY2025. Orin's read on TMO; not advice.

Twelve months actual closes to 2026-09-23 · actual filings

Sept 25Nov 25Jan 26Mar 26May 26Jul 26

50-day average 200-day average · volume below

Largest holders · 13F Q2 2026

Money flow
FilerPositionOf fund
Vanguard Capital Management$12.2B0.3% of fund
State Street$8.4B0.3% of fund
Fmr$7.1B0.3% of fund
Morgan Stanley$5.4B0.3% of fund
Jpmorgan Chase &$4.3B0.2% of fund
Geode Capital Management$4.2B0.2% of fund

147 filers · quarter ended Q2 2026 · positions, not flows

Insiders, last 24 months: 409 Form 4 filings, net −$131.8M. Of the 50 on hand, 0 were open-market purchases and 18 sales— the rest are grants, option exercises and tax withholding.

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Where it trades

vs its own 5y · Healthcare
MetricNowOwn medianSector
P/E35.7×32.3×26.4×
EV/EBITDA26.0×20.8×
P/S5.31×4.81×
P/B4.7×4.4×

Its P/E sits above all 5 of the last 5 years (+2.41σ from its own mean).

What the price assumes

16.8%

free-cash-flow growth every year for 10 years, discounted at 10%, is what today’s price implies — starting from $6.3B of trailing free cash flow. It is an assumption the market is making, not a forecast Orin is making.

What Wall Street published

43 firms · 2026-09-23
Consensus target

$623

$520$748 · −6% against today's price

How they rate it
  • 36 buy or overweight
  • 7 hold
  • 0 underweight or sell

The analysts’ consensus and their own ratings, not Orin’s. A target is a twelve-month opinion published by the firm that wrote it.

Against the companies it is compared to

median P/E 33.3× of 7 peers
CompanyMarket capP/EEV/EBITDAGrossNetROE
TMOThermo Fisher Scientific Inc.$246B35.7×26.0×41.0%15.1%13%
AAgilent Technologies, Inc.$47B32.5×24.8×53.7%19.5%20%
ABTAbbott Laboratories$179B33.3×20.8×56.8%11.6%11%
AMGNAmgen Inc.$219B25.0×15.9×72.7%22.9%89%
DHRDanaher Corporation$156B39.2×24.9×58.5%15.9%8%
IQVIQVIA Holdings Inc.$44B32.9×16.6×26.2%8.1%22%
ISRGIntuitive Surgical, Inc.$141B45.0×30.6×66.7%28.4%18%
MRKMerck & Co., Inc.$366B117.5×29.8×75.4%4.8%7%

The median is of the 7 peers listed above and nothing else — check it against the column. This company trades 7.3% above it. The peer set is the vendor’s, so a company can appear here that a person would not have chosen.

What it has traded at

P/E by fiscal year
FY14 26.3×FY25 32.6×

What its sector has traded at

Healthcare
FY14 6.5×FY26 28.6×

Two scales, drawn separately on purpose: a sector median and one company’s multiple are not the same number and putting them on one axis invites a comparison neither series supports.

Discounted cash flow

not recomputed since
ModelFair valueAgainstComputed
Standard DCF$539$484.44 · +11%2026-06-10
Levered DCF$393$484.44 · −19%2026-06-10

The vendor’s intrinsic-value models. Treat them as a low-growth anchor — for a fast grower the market routinely pays well above a DCF. These were computed against the price in the “against” column, not today’s.

Every estimate on one scale

price $664.02
52-week range$435 – $671
Analyst targets$520 – $748
Standard DCF$539 as of 2026-06-10, when it was $484.44
Levered DCF$393 as of 2026-06-10, when it was $484.44
At own 5y-median P/E (32×)$602
At 5y P/E range (31–34×)$578 – $636
At sector P/E (26×)$492

The vertical rule is the current price. Ranges and point estimates are the backend’s, published as they were calculated; an arrow means the estimate sits beyond this scale, and its number is on the right.