PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab Purchases New Stake in Danaher Corporation $DHR

PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 301,497 shares of the conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $69,546,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vawter Financial Ltd. acquired a new stake in Danaher in the fourth quarter valued at $225,000. Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in Danaher by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 23,477 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $5,374,000 after acquiring an additional 1,444 shares in the last quarter. Essex Bank raised its holdings in Danaher by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Essex Bank now owns 4,870 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Danaher by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,491 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Danaher by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 478,094 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $109,445,000 after acquiring an additional 2,610 shares in the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at $1,060,642.99. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Stock Down 2.0%

DHR stock opened at $175.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.52. Danaher Corporation has a 1-year low of $174.60 and a 1-year high of $242.80. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $193.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $213.20. The firm has a market cap of $124.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.91, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.81.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Danaher had a net margin of 14.89% and a return on equity of 10.91%. The firm had revenue of $5.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 27th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is a positive change from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 27th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DHR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Danaher from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Danaher from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of Danaher from $275.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $240.70.

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.