Axiom Investors LLC DE Invests $223.87 Million in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Axiom Investors LLC DE purchased a new position in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 977,942 shares of the conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $223,870,000. Danaher makes up about 2.0% of Axiom Investors LLC DE’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DHR. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its position in Danaher by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 366,481 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $83,895,000 after acquiring an additional 74,301 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in Danaher by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 664,705 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $131,784,000 after acquiring an additional 18,744 shares in the last quarter. Maxi Investments CY Ltd bought a new stake in Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,251,000. Defender Capital LLC. bought a new stake in Danaher in the 4th quarter valued at $35,715,000. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at $17,480,000. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus cut their price objective on shares of Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Danaher from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Evercore lifted their price target on shares of Danaher from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Danaher in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $230.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.14.

Danaher Stock Up 2.6%

Danaher stock opened at $188.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $133.33 billion, a PE ratio of 36.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.81. The company’s 50-day moving average is $181.33 and its 200-day moving average is $205.56. Danaher Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $160.93 and a fifty-two week high of $242.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.52.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $5.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 14.89% and a return on equity of 10.91%. Danaher’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.88 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Danaher’s payout ratio is currently 30.95%.

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.