Danaher Corporation $DHR Shares Sold by Consulta Ltd

Consulta Ltd cut its stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 45.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 600,000 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 500,000 shares during the period. Danaher accounts for about 6.7% of Consulta Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Consulta Ltd’s holdings in Danaher were worth $137,352,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,177,106,000. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its position in Danaher by 543.9% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,907,515 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $574,351,000 after buying an additional 2,455,994 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Danaher by 104.7% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,333,056 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $991,923,000 after buying an additional 2,216,789 shares during the period. Generation Investment Management LLP increased its stake in shares of Danaher by 34.0% in the 3rd quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 6,654,666 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,319,354,000 after buying an additional 1,689,020 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of Danaher by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,246,008 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $4,177,386,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487,768 shares during the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Danaher Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of Danaher stock opened at $177.85 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $203.59. The stock has a market cap of $125.88 billion, a PE ratio of 34.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Danaher Corporation has a 12 month low of $160.93 and a 12 month high of $242.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.91% and a net margin of 14.89%.The firm had revenue of $5.95 billion for 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. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on DHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Danaher from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Danaher from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Evercore upped their target price on shares of Danaher from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, DZ Bank initiated coverage on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $210.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.61.

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.