Whittier Trust Co. Has $69.30 Million Position in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 292,894 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,790 shares during the period. Danaher accounts for about 0.8% of Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Danaher were worth $69,296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction on 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 owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at $1,060,642.99. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 10.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Danaher Stock Performance

Shares of DHR opened at $193.38 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $136.85 billion, a PE ratio of 38.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.95. Danaher Corporation has a one year low of $180.03 and a one year 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. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $199.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $214.62.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its 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. The firm had revenue of $6.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.79 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 14.71% and a return on equity of 10.81%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.14 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 27th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is a boost from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Danaher’s payout ratio is 31.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DHR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Danaher from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on shares of Danaher from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.50.

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.