BNP Paribas Raises Stock Position in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• BNP Paribas sharply increased its stake in Danaher, boosting holdings by 1,828.3% in the fourth quarter to 14,115 shares worth about $3.23 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains generally positive, with 19 Buy ratings and 4 Hold ratings, though several analysts recently cut price targets on the stock; the consensus target is $238.24.
• Danaher reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $2.06 and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, while the stock was trading at $180.07, below its recent highs.

BNP Paribas grew its stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 1,828.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,115 shares of the conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 13,383 shares during the period. BNP Paribas' holdings in Danaher were worth $3,234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Danaher by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,009 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Danaher by 34.5% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 55,418 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $10,947,000 after buying an additional 14,217 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Danaher by 40.2% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,088 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $610,000 after buying an additional 886 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Danaher by 64.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 75,714 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $14,957,000 after buying an additional 29,592 shares during the period. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Danaher by 30.7% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,383 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Danaher from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Danaher from $240.00 to $212.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wolfe Research cut shares of Danaher from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Danaher has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $238.24.

Danaher Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of DHR opened at $180.07 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.81. Danaher Corporation has a 12-month low of $160.93 and a 12-month high of $242.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $181.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $207.20.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $5.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 14.89% and a return on equity of 10.91%. The business's revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

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

Danaher 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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