Defender Capital LLC. Takes $35.72 Million Position in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Defender Capital LLC. bought a new stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 156,015 shares of the conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $35,715,000. Danaher makes up 11.6% of Defender Capital LLC.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DHR. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Danaher during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in shares of Danaher during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Danaher in the third quarter valued at $28,000. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Danaher Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE DHR opened at $187.18 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $211.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $214.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.87. Danaher Corporation has a 52-week low of $171.00 and a 52-week high of $242.80. The stock has a market cap of $132.36 billion, a PE ratio of 37.14, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.93.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.14 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 27th. This is a positive change from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on DHR. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Danaher from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Danaher in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $251.00 price target on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,060,642.99. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 11.10% of the company’s stock.

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.