Danaher (NYSE:DHR) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $164.96 and last traded at $165.31, with a volume of 333449 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $166.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on Danaher from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Argus decreased their price objective on Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $205.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research note on Friday, April 17th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Danaher from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $240.70.

Danaher Stock Down 0.5%

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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $188.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $211.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.81.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.12. Danaher had a net margin of 14.89% and a return on equity of 10.91%. The firm had revenue of $5.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. Danaher’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid 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 yield of 1.0%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total value of $274,573.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,060,642.99. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 10.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Danaher

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Danaher by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,009 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Danaher by 34.5% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 55,418 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $10,947,000 after purchasing an additional 14,217 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Danaher by 40.2% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,088 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its stake in Danaher by 64.2% during the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 75,714 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $14,957,000 after purchasing an additional 29,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Danaher by 30.7% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,383 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.