Swiss National Bank Sells 92,500 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

Swiss National Bank lessened its holdings in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 4.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,856,708 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 92,500 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Danaher were worth $368,111,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DHR. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Danaher during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in Danaher in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 79.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total transaction of $274,573.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,060,642.99. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 11.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on DHR shares. HSBC upped their price objective on Danaher from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Danaher from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Danaher in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Argus set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.86.

Danaher Stock Performance

NYSE:DHR opened at $195.60 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $222.53 and its 200 day moving average is $215.99. The firm has a market cap of $138.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.81, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.87. Danaher Corporation has a 52-week low of $171.00 and a 52-week high of $242.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.09. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 14.71%.The business had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is an increase from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 27th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.40%.

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.