Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $242.91

Key Points

• Analysts rate Danaher “Moderate Buy”: 18 of 23 brokerages recommend buying, and the average 12-month price target is $242.91. Recent targets from Barclays, Stifel Nicolaus, and UBS were $260.
• Quarterly earnings beat expectations: Danaher reported EPS of $2.11 versus the $1.92 consensus, while revenue of $6.55 billion was slightly below estimates; revenue rose 8.3% year over year.
• The company’s quarterly dividend is $0.40 per share, equivalent to $1.60 annually and a 0.7% yield.

Shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $242.91.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DHR. Barclays upped their target price on Danaher from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Danaher from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Danaher from $212.00 to $195.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Danaher from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th.

Danaher Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $229.99 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Danaher has a twelve month low of $160.93 and a twelve month high of $242.80. The company's 50 day moving average is $219.38 and its 200 day moving average is $201.70. The company has a market cap of $161.80 billion, a PE ratio of 37.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.76.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.56 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 11.17%. The firm's revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Danaher will post 8.59 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Danaher's dividend payout ratio is 26.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Christopher Bouda sold 7,598 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.56, for a total transaction of $1,782,186.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,136,137.92. This trade represents a 45.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Danaher

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Danaher by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,203 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $2,039,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Essential Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Danaher by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter. Essential Investment Partners LLC now owns 175 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Danaher by 28.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 213 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC boosted its position in Danaher by 3.1% in the third quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 1,581 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. boosted its position in Danaher by 7.5% in the third quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 715 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $158,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Danaher Company Profile

Danaher Corporation NYSE: DHR is a global science and technology company that develops products, services and solutions for the life sciences, biotechnology and diagnostics markets. Its offerings help researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, healthcare providers and other organizations conduct scientific research, develop and manufacture medicines, and diagnose disease.

The company operates through businesses that provide bioprocessing equipment and technologies, laboratory instruments, consumables, analytical tools and clinical diagnostic systems.

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