Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Sells 175,013 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership cut its holdings in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 6.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,497,958 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 175,013 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in Danaher were worth $495,245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in DHR. White Pine Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Danaher by 1.4% during the second quarter. White Pine Capital LLC now owns 3,494 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. SOL Capital Management CO grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 2.8% during the third quarter. SOL Capital Management CO now owns 1,829 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Purkiss Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Purkiss Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Danaher by 0.7% in the third quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 7,439 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Danaher by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 1,159 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Stock Performance

NYSE DHR opened at $209.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.87. The company has a market capitalization of $148.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a fifty day moving average of $225.62 and a 200-day moving average of $216.09. Danaher Corporation has a 52-week low of $171.00 and a 52-week high of $242.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.09. Danaher had a net margin of 14.71% and a return on equity of 10.81%. The business had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a positive change from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus set a $265.00 price target on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $254.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Danaher from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.86.

Insider Activity at Danaher

In related news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total value of $274,573.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 11.10% 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.