Danaher (NYSE:DHR) Hits New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $203.00 and last traded at $203.42, with a volume of 7038666 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $206.76.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on DHR. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Raymond James reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Danaher from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Danaher from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $278.00.

Danaher Trading Up 1.5 %

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $230.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $249.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.26 billion, a PE ratio of 39.14, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.83.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The conglomerate reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14. Danaher had a net margin of 16.33% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.09 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Danaher Co. will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Danaher's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.45%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 5,700 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.13, for a total value of $1,277,541.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,534,149.90. The trade was a 21.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 11.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Danaher

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its stake in Danaher by 3.2% in the third quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 1,231 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Danaher by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Meridian Financial Partners LLC now owns 957 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Danaher by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 1,243 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $346,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Well Done LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Well Done LLC now owns 3,551 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $987,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Waypoint Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Danaher by 0.9% in the third quarter. Waypoint Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,520 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $1,257,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Danaher Company Profile

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.