Danaher (NYSE:DHR) Price Target Raised to $270.00

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) had its price target lifted by TD Cowen from $260.00 to $270.00 in a research note published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the conglomerate’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on DHR. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Danaher from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Danaher in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $265.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Redburn Partners set a $220.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Danaher from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $249.92.

Danaher Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE DHR opened at $238.28 on Wednesday. Danaher has a one year low of $171.00 and a one year high of $258.23. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $225.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $210.51. The firm has a market cap of $168.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.13, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.52.

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

Danaher Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Danaher

In other news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 21,776 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,190,454.19. This represents a 59.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Teri List sold 3,298 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.50, for a total value of $746,997.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,762 shares in the company, valued at $4,702,593. The trade was a 13.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 30,248 shares of company stock valued at $6,609,663. Insiders own 11.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Danaher

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DHR. Atlas Brown Inc. raised its position in shares of Danaher by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 3,196 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $732,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Carderock Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Danaher by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Carderock Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,465 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $5,601,000 after acquiring an additional 3,362 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Danaher by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 6,034 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,381,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Norway Savings Bank lifted its position in Danaher by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Norway Savings Bank now owns 7,063 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,617,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Danaher in the 4th quarter valued at $242,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

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.