Danaher (NYSE:DHR) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.12 EPS

Key Points

• Danaher reported $2.06 EPS, beating consensus by $0.12, but revenue missed expectations at $5.95 billion versus $6.0 billion projected.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.40 (a $1.60 annualized payout), up from $0.32, with an ex-dividend date of March 27 and a yield of about 0.8%.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive—18 Buys and 3 Holds—giving a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a mean price target of $246.50.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The conglomerate reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.12, FiscalAI reports. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 14.71%.The firm had revenue of $5.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6 billion.

Danaher Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of DHR stock opened at $195.79 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The firm has a market cap of $138.56 billion, a PE ratio of 38.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50-day moving average of $198.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $214.70. Danaher has a 1-year low of $180.03 and a 1-year high of $242.80.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Danaher's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 27th. Danaher's payout ratio is 31.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Danaher news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total transaction of $274,573.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,060,642.99. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Danaher

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Compound Planning Inc. grew its stake in shares of Danaher by 47.1% in the fourth quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 9,554 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $2,187,000 after buying an additional 3,060 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Danaher by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,120,223 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $943,201,000 after purchasing an additional 307,095 shares during the period. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Danaher by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,025,570 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $228,812,000 after purchasing an additional 19,852 shares during the period. Finally, Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $231,000. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DHR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on shares of Danaher from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Danaher from $251.00 to $249.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $246.50.

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.

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