Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 124,481 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 0.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 60,894,068 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 124,481 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 8.62% of Danaher worth $12,072,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Danaher during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,979,503,000. Generation Investment Management LLP boosted its stake in Danaher by 56.2% in the second quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 4,965,646 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $980,914,000 after acquiring an additional 1,787,522 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Danaher by 4.0% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,822,442 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $952,625,000 after purchasing an additional 186,357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Danaher by 2.5% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,337,038 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $856,738,000 after purchasing an additional 106,951 shares in the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Danaher Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $212.37 on Monday. Danaher Corporation has a twelve month low of $171.00 and a twelve month high of $242.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $150.01 billion, a PE ratio of 42.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.91. The company’s 50 day moving average is $228.63 and its 200 day moving average is $215.60.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.09. Danaher had a net margin of 14.71% and a return on equity of 10.81%. The business had revenue of $6.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.14 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on DHR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Danaher from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Danaher from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Argus set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $254.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Danaher from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 sale, the director directly owned 20,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,702,593. This trade represents a 13.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 11.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Danaher 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.