Danaher Corporation $DHR Shares Bought by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,663 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,564 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Danaher were worth $4,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in Danaher in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Red Tortoise LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 175.0% in the second quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 154 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Danaher during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Danaher during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on DHR shares. Redburn Partners set a $220.00 price objective on Danaher in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Danaher from $226.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on Danaher from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Danaher in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $247.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Danaher

In other news, Director Teri List sold 3,298 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.50, for a total value of $746,997.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 20,762 shares in the company, valued at $4,702,593. This represents a 13.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 21,776 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owned 14,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,190,454.19. This trade represents a 59.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 30,248 shares of company stock valued at $6,609,663 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 11.10% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Stock Performance

Shares of DHR stock opened at $230.42 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $223.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $209.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market cap of $162.76 billion, a PE ratio of 47.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.89. Danaher Corporation has a 1 year low of $171.00 and a 1 year high of $258.23.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6 billion. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.92% and a net margin of 14.44%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.71 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Danaher’s payout ratio is presently 26.39%.

About Danaher

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.