ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Sells 16,152 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. trimmed its Danaher stake by 4.6% in Q4, selling 16,152 shares and now holds 335,930 shares worth about $76.9 million, equal to 0.9% of its portfolio and its 14th largest holding.
• Danaher beat quarterly EPS estimates ($2.06 vs. $1.94) while revenue of $5.95 billion slightly missed estimates, and the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share (annualized $1.60, 0.9% yield; ex-dividend June 26).
• Analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $240.70 price target despite several firms trimming targets toward ~$230, and institutional investors own roughly 79% of the stock.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. reduced its position in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 335,930 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 16,152 shares during the period. Danaher makes up 0.9% of ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings in Danaher were worth $76,903,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Danaher during the 3rd quarter valued at $462,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its stake in Danaher by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 366,481 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $83,895,000 after acquiring an additional 74,301 shares in the last quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in Danaher by 49.4% during the 3rd quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 25,340 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $5,024,000 after acquiring an additional 8,380 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in Danaher by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 664,705 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $131,784,000 after acquiring an additional 18,744 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Danaher by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 513,288 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $100,071,000 after acquiring an additional 22,595 shares in the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Danaher Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of DHR opened at $175.55 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $191.25 and a 200 day moving average of $212.54. Danaher Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $172.06 and a fifty-two week high of $242.80. The firm has a market cap of $124.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 1.87.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.91% and a net margin of 14.89%.The company had revenue of $5.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.88 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. Danaher's payout ratio is presently 30.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on DHR shares. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on Danaher from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Danaher from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen cut Danaher from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $240.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Danaher news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 10.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Danaher Company Profile

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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