Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR) Shares Bought by BlueSpruce Investments LP

BlueSpruce Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 23,418.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 496,004 shares of the conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 493,895 shares during the quarter. Danaher comprises 2.3% of BlueSpruce Investments LP's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. BlueSpruce Investments LP owned approximately 0.07% of Danaher worth $113,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 4th quarter worth $2,130,740,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the fourth quarter valued at about $391,172,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Danaher by 32.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,361,183 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $1,460,215,000 after buying an additional 1,566,658 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Danaher by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,934,991 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,821,477,000 after purchasing an additional 992,594 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Danaher by 6,862.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 929,868 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $213,452,000 after purchasing an additional 916,513 shares during the period. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Danaher Stock Performance

DHR traded up $1.77 during trading on Thursday, hitting $194.86. 3,612,564 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,391,919. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $198.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $139.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.90, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.80. Danaher Co. has a 1-year low of $171.00 and a 1-year 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.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $5.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.58 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 16.33% and a return on equity of 10.82%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Danaher Co. will post 7.63 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 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. Danaher's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Danaher

In other news, EVP Christopher Paul Riley sold 15,805 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $3,129,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,179 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,005,442. The trade was a 51.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 11.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on DHR shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Danaher from $280.00 to $240.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Danaher from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Raymond James reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Danaher from $275.00 to $240.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Danaher currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $264.40.

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.