Argent Capital Management LLC Sells 9,559 Shares of Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR)

Argent Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 377,991 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 9,559 shares during the period. Danaher accounts for about 2.4% of Argent Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Argent Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Danaher worth $86,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DHR. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Danaher during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Danaher during the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Danaher during the third quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Danaher during the 4th quarter worth $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Danaher Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE DHR traded up $3.97 on Thursday, reaching $241.94. The company had a trading volume of 3,145,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,191,036. The firm has a market capitalization of $174.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.83. The company's fifty day moving average is $235.07 and its 200-day moving average is $253.45. Danaher Co. has a 1-year low of $222.53 and a 1-year high of $281.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.37.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.59 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 16.39% and a return on equity of 10.62%. The firm's revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Danaher Co. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 27th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 27th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. Danaher's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on DHR. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Danaher from $310.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Danaher from $309.00 to $305.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price target on Danaher from $305.00 to $285.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Danaher from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $286.80.

About Danaher

Danaher Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services worldwide. The Biotechnology segments offers bioprocess technologies, consumables, and services that advance, accelerate, and integrate the development and manufacture of therapeutics; cell line and cell culture media development services; cell culture media, process liquids and buffers for manufacturing, chromatography resins, filtration technologies, aseptic fill finish; single-use hardware and consumables and services, such as the design and installation of full manufacturing suites; lab filtration, separation, and purification; lab-scale protein purification and analytical tools; reagents, membranes, and services; and healthcare filtration solutions.