Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Decreases Stock Holdings in Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt cut its stake in Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,807 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Danaher were worth $1,334,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DHR. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Danaher during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Danaher during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new stake in Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Danaher during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Danaher during the third quarter worth about $50,000. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Danaher Price Performance

DHR opened at $209.95 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $233.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $252.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Danaher Co. has a 52-week low of $209.10 and a 52-week high of $281.70. The company has a market cap of $151.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.83.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The conglomerate reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14. Danaher had a net margin of 16.33% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.09 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Danaher Co. will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.45%.

Insider Transactions at Danaher

In other Danaher news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 5,700 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.13, for a total value of $1,277,541.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,534,149.90. The trade was a 21.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 10.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Danaher in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $265.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Danaher from $309.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Danaher from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Danaher from $275.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Danaher currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.00.

Danaher Company Profile

Danaher Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services worldwide. The Biotechnology segments offers bioprocess technologies, consumables, and services that advance, accelerate, and integrate the development and manufacture of therapeutics; cell line and cell culture media development services; cell culture media, process liquids and buffers for manufacturing, chromatography resins, filtration technologies, aseptic fill finish; single-use hardware and consumables and services, such as the design and installation of full manufacturing suites; lab filtration, separation, and purification; lab-scale protein purification and analytical tools; reagents, membranes, and services; and healthcare filtration solutions.