MUFG Securities EMEA plc Raises Stock Holdings in Danaher Corporation $DHR

MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its position in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 4,366.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 544,772 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 532,574 shares during the period. Danaher comprises 1.4% of MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Danaher were worth $124,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Danaher by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 16,758,240 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $3,318,926,000 after purchasing an additional 312,951 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Danaher during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,177,106,000. Generation Investment Management LLP raised its holdings in Danaher by 34.0% in the third quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 6,654,666 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,319,354,000 after buying an additional 1,689,020 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Danaher by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,495,287 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,029,061,000 after buying an additional 43,169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Danaher by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,446,976 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,018,002,000 after buying an additional 77,757 shares in the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Danaher Stock Up 1.2%

DHR opened at $182.73 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $129.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.34, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $182.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $207.48. Danaher Corporation has a twelve month low of $160.93 and a twelve month high of $242.80. 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 (NYSE:DHR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $5.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 14.89% and a return on equity of 10.91%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.88 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Danaher’s payout ratio is presently 30.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on shares of Danaher from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Evercore upped their price objective on Danaher from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $205.00 target price on Danaher in a report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen cut Danaher from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $238.24.

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.