Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) Receives $253.86 Average PT from Analysts

Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $253.8571.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Danaher from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $254.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $251.00 price target on Danaher in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Danaher in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of Danaher 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 sale, the executive vice president 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 11.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Danaher

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Enterprise Financial Services Corp grew its stake in Danaher by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 3,219 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $737,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank boosted its holdings in Danaher by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 3,348 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $766,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Danaher by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $428,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Danaher by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 292 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in Danaher by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,104 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $253,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $201.99 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $142.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $223.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $216.02. Danaher has a 52 week low of $171.00 and a 52 week high of $242.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced 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 company had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Danaher will post 7.63 EPS for the current 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 issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. This is an increase from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.40%.

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.