5,745 Shares in Danaher Corporation $DHR Acquired by Gradient Investments LLC

Key Points

• Gradient Investments acquired 5,745 Danaher shares worth approximately $1.27 million during the third quarter, adding to significant recent institutional buying. Institutional investors own 79.05% of Danaher’s outstanding stock.
• Analysts maintain a positive outlook, with Danaher receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $235.23, above its reported $220.15 share price.
• Danaher exceeded quarterly expectations with $1.94 in EPS and $6.26 billion in revenue, while announcing a $0.40 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 0.7% yield.

Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 5,745 shares of the conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $1,273,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Danaher in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,807,000. Puzo Michael J purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the second quarter valued at approximately $8,624,000. Madison Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the second quarter valued at approximately $85,451,000. First Nebraska Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Danaher in the second quarter worth approximately $14,106,000. Finally, Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the third quarter worth $592,000. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Danaher in a report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Danaher from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Danaher from $240.00 to $236.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Danaher presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $235.23.

Danaher Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Danaher stock opened at $220.15 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Danaher Corporation has a 12-month low of $160.93 and a 12-month high of $242.80. The company has a market cap of $154.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.10, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.76. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $211.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $194.62.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.12 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 11.04%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Danaher Corporation will post 8.53 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Danaher's payout ratio is presently 28.42%.

Danaher Company Profile

Danaher Corporation NYSE: DHR is a global science and technology company that develops and manufactures products, services and solutions for the life sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology industries. Its offerings help researchers, healthcare professionals and biopharmaceutical manufacturers discover, develop, produce and analyze medicines and other biological products.

The company operates through businesses that provide laboratory instruments, consumables, software and services, including technologies for cell analysis, genomics, protein research, bioprocessing and clinical diagnostics.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DHR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.