Leerink Partners Issues Positive Forecast for Danaher (NYSE:DHR) Stock Price

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at Leerink Partners from $260.00 to $270.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the conglomerate’s stock. Leerink Partners’ price objective points to a potential upside of 14.38% from the company’s previous close.

DHR has been the topic of several other research reports. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Danaher from $230.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Danaher from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Argus set a $265.00 price target on Danaher in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Danaher in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $265.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $247.00 price target on shares of Danaher in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $252.83.

Danaher Stock Down 1.6%

DHR stock opened at $236.05 on Friday. Danaher has a fifty-two week low of $171.00 and a fifty-two week high of $258.23. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $228.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $211.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $166.73 billion, a PE ratio of 48.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Georgeann Couchara sold 5,174 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.42, for a total value of $1,088,713.08. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,625 shares in the company, valued at $552,352.50. The trade was a 66.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Teri List sold 3,298 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.50, for a total transaction of $746,997.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,702,593. This represents a 13.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 30,248 shares of company stock worth $6,609,663 in the last ninety days. 11.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Danaher

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Danaher in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in Danaher in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Danaher in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Danaher

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.