Danaher Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:DHR)

Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 24,187 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 308% compared to the average volume of 5,928 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $205.00 price target on Danaher in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Danaher in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $230.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Danaher from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Danaher from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $228.91.

Danaher Stock Performance

Shares of DHR traded up $10.81 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $189.95. The stock had a trading volume of 5,080,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,551,663. Danaher has a 12 month low of $160.93 and a 12 month high of $242.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $134.44 billion, a PE ratio of 33.72, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $184.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $197.34.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The conglomerate reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 11.06%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Danaher will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Danaher

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its position in Danaher by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 366,481 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $83,895,000 after buying an additional 74,301 shares during the last quarter. Defender Capital LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Danaher in the fourth quarter worth about $35,715,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Danaher by 303.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 248,020 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $56,777,000 after purchasing an additional 186,584 shares in the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 215.4% during the 4th quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,638 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,435,000 after buying an additional 7,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the fourth quarter worth about $4,477,000. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.