Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Boosts Stock Holdings in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its holdings in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 66.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 26,896 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 10,761 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Danaher were worth $6,157,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Danaher in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Danaher

In other news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total transaction of $274,573.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,099 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Price Performance

Danaher stock opened at $166.97 on Wednesday. Danaher Corporation has a 52-week low of $160.93 and a 52-week high of $242.80. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $184.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $209.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 1.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.30, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.81.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $5.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6 billion. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.91% and a net margin of 14.89%.Danaher’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.88 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DHR has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Danaher from $251.00 to $249.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Argus dropped their target price on shares of Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Danaher from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $238.65.

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.