Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-one research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $278.00.
DHR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Danaher from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America upgraded Danaher from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $290.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Danaher from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $285.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Danaher from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th.
Read Our Latest Report on DHR
Danaher Stock Performance
DHR stock traded up $0.70 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $205.23. The company had a trading volume of 4,572,680 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,519,168. Danaher has a fifty-two week low of $196.80 and a fifty-two week high of $281.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $227.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $247.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.24 billion, a PE ratio of 38.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.83.
Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The conglomerate reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.14. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 16.33%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.09 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Danaher will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.
Danaher Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. Danaher's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.45%.
Insider Transactions at Danaher
In related news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 5,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.13, for a total transaction of $1,277,541.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 20,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,534,149.90. This trade represents a 21.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 10.90% of the company's stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Danaher
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Danaher in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Danaher Company Profile
(
Get Free ReportDanaher 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.
Further Reading
Before you consider Danaher, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Danaher wasn't on the list.
While Danaher currently has a "Moderate Buy" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Market downturns give many investors pause, and for good reason. Wondering how to offset this risk? Enter your email address to learn more about using beta to protect your portfolio.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.
