Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty-one have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $250.9583.

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Danaher from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Danaher in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (down from $245.00) on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Danaher

In related news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 21,776 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.23, for a total transaction of $4,773,952.48. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 14,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,190,454.19. The trade was a 59.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Georgeann Couchara sold 5,174 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.42, for a total value of $1,088,713.08. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $552,352.50. This trade represents a 66.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,248 shares of company stock worth $6,609,663. Insiders own 11.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Danaher

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DHR. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Danaher by 1.6% in the second quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 249,377 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $49,262,000 after purchasing an additional 3,862 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Danaher by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 13,332 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,634,000 after buying an additional 1,391 shares during the period. Weitz Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Danaher by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. now owns 526,950 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $104,094,000 after acquiring an additional 30,300 shares in the last quarter. Nvwm LLC lifted its position in Danaher by 20.4% during the 2nd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 7,093 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,401,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares during the period. Finally, ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. boosted its stake in Danaher by 1.9% during the second quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. now owns 322,924 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $63,787,000 after acquiring an additional 6,136 shares in the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Danaher Trading Up 1.0%

DHR opened at $237.92 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $227.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $211.39. Danaher has a 1-year low of $171.00 and a 1-year high of $258.23. The company has a market cap of $168.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. Danaher had a net margin of 14.44% and a return on equity of 10.92%. The company had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Danaher will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.39%.

Danaher Company Profile

Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR) is a global science and technology company that designs, manufactures and markets products and services for the life sciences, diagnostics, and environmental and applied markets. The company organizes its operations into business segments focused on Life Sciences, Diagnostics, and Environmental & Applied Solutions, supplying instruments, reagents, software and related services that support research, clinical testing, biopharmaceutical development, and industrial and environmental monitoring.

Products and services in Danaher’s portfolio include analytical and diagnostic instruments, laboratory consumables and reagents, digital and software solutions for workflow and data management, field and industrial monitoring equipment, and service and maintenance programs.