15,838 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR Acquired by CWS Financial Advisors LLC

Key Points

• CWS Financial Advisors LLC acquired 15,838 Danaher shares worth approximately $3.5 million, making the stock its 23rd-largest holding and about 0.7% of its portfolio.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 79.05%, with major investors including Wellington Management, BlackRock, and Bank of America adding or initiating positions.
• Danaher reported quarterly EPS of $1.94, beating estimates by $0.09, while revenue rose 5.5% year over year to $6.26 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $235.41, and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share.

CWS Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 15,838 shares of the conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $3,509,000. Danaher makes up about 0.7% of CWS Financial Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Danaher in the second quarter worth about $10,492,520,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Danaher by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 16,316,834 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $3,108,031,000 after acquiring an additional 1,542,310 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in Danaher during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,456,317,000. Generation Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Danaher during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,287,949,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Danaher during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $993,846,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Danaher Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE DHR opened at $228.87 on Friday. Danaher Corporation has a 1 year low of $160.93 and a 1 year high of $242.80. The stock has a market cap of $160.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $214.04 and a 200 day moving average of $195.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 11.04%. Danaher's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Danaher Corporation will post 8.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Danaher's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on DHR shares. UBS Group started coverage on Danaher in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Danaher from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Danaher from $200.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Danaher from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Danaher from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Danaher currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $235.41.

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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