Danaher Corporation $DHR Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lowered its position in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 41.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 275,951 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 193,819 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Danaher were worth $52,320,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its holdings in Danaher by 25.4% in the fourth 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 during the period. Maxi Investments CY Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter worth $3,251,000. Defender Capital LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,715,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Danaher by 303.7% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 248,020 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $56,777,000 after purchasing an additional 186,584 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the third quarter valued at about $17,480,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of DHR stock opened at $199.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $140.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $180.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $199.48. Danaher Corporation has a twelve month low of $160.93 and a twelve month high of $242.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $6 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 14.89% and a return on equity of 10.91%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DHR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Danaher from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Danaher from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Danaher in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Danaher in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $231.64.

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.