Handelsbanken Fonder AB Lowers Holdings in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its stake in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 222,866 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 9,416 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Danaher were worth $44,185,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DHR. White Pine Capital LLC boosted its position in Danaher by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. White Pine Capital LLC now owns 3,494 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $690,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. SOL Capital Management CO boosted its holdings in Danaher by 2.8% during the third quarter. SOL Capital Management CO now owns 1,829 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Purkiss Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Danaher by 3.9% during the third quarter. Purkiss Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Danaher by 0.7% in the third quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 7,439 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Danaher by 4.8% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 1,159 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Danaher Price Performance

Shares of Danaher stock opened at $210.28 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.72, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $225.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $216.16. Danaher Corporation has a 12 month low of $171.00 and a 12 month high of $242.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.09. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 14.71%.The firm had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Danaher

In other news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total value of $274,573.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,060,642.99. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 11.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Danaher from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Danaher from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, HSBC increased their target price on Danaher from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.86.

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.