Bamco Inc. NY Lowers Holdings in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Bamco Inc. NY trimmed its holdings in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 36.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 47,329 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 26,807 shares during the quarter. Bamco Inc. NY’s holdings in Danaher were worth $9,383,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 60,769,587 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $12,004,424,000 after buying an additional 788,499 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Danaher by 1.9% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 16,758,240 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,318,926,000 after acquiring an additional 312,951 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Danaher during the second quarter valued at $1,979,503,000. Generation Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in Danaher by 34.0% in the 3rd quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 6,654,666 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,319,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,689,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Danaher by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,822,442 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $952,625,000 after purchasing an additional 186,357 shares in the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DHR has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Monday, December 29th. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on Danaher from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Danaher from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. Guggenheim raised their price target on Danaher from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Danaher in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective on the stock. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Danaher presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was 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 owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,060,642.99. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 11.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Danaher Stock Performance

Danaher stock opened at $187.34 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $218.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $215.48. Danaher Corporation has a twelve month low of $171.00 and a twelve month high of $242.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $132.47 billion, a PE ratio of 37.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.93.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.84 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. This is a boost from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

Danaher 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.