Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR) Shares Acquired by Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR) by 151.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,237 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,958 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC’s holdings in Danaher were worth $1,891,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DHR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Danaher during the fourth quarter worth about $2,130,740,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Danaher in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $391,172,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of Danaher by 4,248.8% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,639,500 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $376,347,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601,800 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,361,183 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,460,215,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566,658 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in Danaher by 460.6% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,348,544 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $309,558,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107,998 shares in the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Danaher Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:DHR opened at $187.47 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $134.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $216.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Danaher Co. has a 12-month low of $171.00 and a 12-month high of $281.70.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.26. Danaher had a net margin of 16.33% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The business had revenue of $5.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.58 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Danaher Co. will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on DHR shares. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Danaher from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Danaher from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Danaher from $231.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Danaher currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.24.

Insider Transactions at Danaher

In related news, Chairman Steven M. Rales sold 1,250,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.74, for a total value of $245,925,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 3,105,808 shares in the company, valued at $611,036,665.92. This represents a 28.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher Paul Riley sold 15,805 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $3,129,390.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,179 shares in the company, valued at $3,005,442. This trade represents a 51.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 11.10% of the company’s stock.

About Danaher

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.