PFG Advisors Sells 18,072 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

PFG Advisors lessened its stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 46.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,682 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 18,072 shares during the period. PFG Advisors’ holdings in Danaher were worth $4,735,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Danaher during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on DHR. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Danaher from $265.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Danaher from $251.00 to $249.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Leerink Partners raised their target price on Danaher from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Argus set a $265.00 price target on Danaher in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Danaher has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.50.

Insider Activity

In related 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,060,642.99. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Trading Up 0.5%

DHR opened at $195.79 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $138.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.95. Danaher Corporation has a 12 month low of $180.03 and a 12 month high of $242.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $198.39 and a 200 day moving average of $214.70.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 14.71%.The company had revenue of $5.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 8.4 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 27th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. This is a positive change from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.75%.

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.