Danaher Corporation $DHR Shares Purchased by Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG

Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its holdings in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 292,180 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,909 shares during the period. Danaher makes up 1.2% of Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG’s holdings in Danaher were worth $57,928,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Danaher during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in Danaher during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Red Tortoise LLC raised its position in Danaher by 175.0% during the second quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 154 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Danaher in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Danaher in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 79.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Danaher Stock Down 0.7%

DHR stock opened at $228.99 on Friday. Danaher Corporation has a 52 week low of $171.00 and a 52 week high of $258.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $223.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $208.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $161.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.21, a P/E/G ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.89.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. Danaher had a net margin of 14.44% and a return on equity of 10.92%. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.71 EPS. Danaher’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. Danaher’s payout ratio is presently 26.39%.

Insider Activity at Danaher

In other news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 21,776 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.23, for a total value of $4,773,952.48. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,553 shares in the company, valued at $3,190,454.19. This represents a 59.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Teri List sold 3,298 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.50, for a total transaction of $746,997.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 20,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,702,593. This represents a 13.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,248 shares of company stock valued at $6,609,663. 11.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Redburn Partners set a $220.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Danaher from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Danaher from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $220.00 target price (down from $245.00) on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Danaher from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $248.25.

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.