Danaher Corporation $DHR Holdings Boosted by Pacific Capital Partners Ltd

Pacific Capital Partners Ltd raised its stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 25,000 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Danaher accounts for approximately 5.5% of Pacific Capital Partners Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Pacific Capital Partners Ltd’s holdings in Danaher were worth $4,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DHR. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 60,769,587 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $12,004,424,000 after purchasing an additional 788,499 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Danaher by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,726,194 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,697,800,000 after buying an additional 81,670 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,979,503,000. Generation Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in shares of Danaher by 56.2% during the 2nd quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 4,965,646 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $980,914,000 after buying an additional 1,787,522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Danaher by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,822,442 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $952,625,000 after buying an additional 186,357 shares during the period. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on DHR shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Danaher from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $220.00 target price (down previously from $245.00) on shares of Danaher in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Danaher in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Danaher from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.92.

Danaher Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $235.40 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $166.27 billion, a PE ratio of 48.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.89. Danaher Corporation has a 1 year low of $171.00 and a 1 year high of $258.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $226.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $211.20.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. Danaher had a net margin of 14.44% and a return on equity of 10.92%. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.71 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. Danaher’s payout ratio is 26.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Danaher

In other news, SVP Georgeann Couchara sold 5,174 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.42, for a total transaction of $1,088,713.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $552,352.50. This represents a 66.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 value of $746,997.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,702,593. The trade was a 13.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,248 shares of company stock valued at $6,609,663. Insiders own 11.20% of the company’s stock.

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.