Factory Mutual Insurance Co. Purchases 9,619 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. increased its position in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 3.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 281,019 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,619 shares during the period. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.’s holdings in Danaher were worth $62,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Danaher during the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,492,520,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Danaher by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 16,316,834 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $3,108,031,000 after purchasing an additional 1,542,310 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,456,317,000. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,287,949,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the second quarter valued at approximately $993,846,000. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Danaher news, CAO Christopher Bouda sold 7,598 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.56, for a total transaction of $1,782,186.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,136,137.92. This trade represents a 45.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 10.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DHR shares. DZ Bank cut Danaher from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Barclays increased their price objective on Danaher from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Danaher from $212.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Danaher from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Danaher from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $242.91.

Danaher Stock Performance

Shares of DHR opened at $229.99 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $219.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $201.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $161.80 billion, a PE ratio of 37.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Danaher Corporation has a 52-week low of $160.93 and a 52-week high of $242.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The conglomerate reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.19. Danaher had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 11.17%. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Danaher’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Danaher Corporation will post 8.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is 26.19%.

Danaher Company Profile

Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR) is a global science and technology company that develops products, services and solutions for the life sciences, biotechnology and diagnostics markets. Its offerings help researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, healthcare providers and other organizations conduct scientific research, develop and manufacture medicines, and diagnose disease.

The company operates through businesses that provide bioprocessing equipment and technologies, laboratory instruments, consumables, analytical tools and clinical diagnostic systems.