TD Cowen Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Danaher (NYSE:DHR) Stock

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) had its price objective upped by equities researchers at TD Cowen from $260.00 to $270.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the conglomerate’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target suggests a potential upside of 14.93% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Wednesday. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays boosted their target price on Danaher from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Redburn Partners set a $220.00 price target on Danaher in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Danaher from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Danaher currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $249.92.

Danaher Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:DHR opened at $234.92 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $225.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $210.22. Danaher has a 52 week low of $171.00 and a 52 week high of $258.23. The company has a market capitalization of $165.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.44, a P/E/G ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.52.

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

Insider Activity at Danaher

In other news, SVP Georgeann Couchara sold 5,174 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.42, for a total transaction of $1,088,713.08. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,352.50. The trade was a 66.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 21,776 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.23, for a total value of $4,773,952.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,190,454.19. This trade represents a 59.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 30,248 shares of company stock worth $6,609,663 over the last three months. Company insiders own 11.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Danaher

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DHR. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Danaher by 27.2% during the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,136 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 1,099 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Danaher in the 1st quarter worth approximately $205,000. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Danaher during the 1st quarter worth approximately $421,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Danaher by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,973 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,020,000 after buying an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC grew its position in Danaher by 147.8% in the first quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 4,491 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $921,000 after acquiring an additional 2,679 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

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.