Danaher Corporation $DHR Shares Acquired by Kemnay Advisory Services Inc.

Key Points

• Kemnay Advisory Services increased its stake in Danaher by 23.7% in Q3, adding 9,423 shares to hold 49,190 shares worth about $9.75 million (1.5% of the fund's portfolio).
• Danaher beat Q estimates with EPS of $2.23 vs. $2.14 and revenue of $6.84B (+4.6% YoY), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.40 ($1.60 annual; yield 0.8%, ex-dividend Mar 27).
• Analysts are broadly bullish—20 Buy vs. 3 Hold—with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $253.86, while several firms recently lifted targets (HSBC, Jefferies, JPMorgan).

Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 23.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 49,190 shares of the conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 9,423 shares during the quarter. Danaher comprises 1.5% of Kemnay Advisory Services Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Danaher were worth $9,752,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DHR. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Danaher by 6.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,009 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,981 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $391,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 53,591 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $10,586,000 after buying an additional 1,142 shares in the last quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 40.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 18,613 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $3,677,000 after buying an additional 5,375 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Danaher by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 4,541 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $897,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Danaher Stock Down 3.2%

DHR opened at $195.60 on Friday. Danaher Corporation has a 52 week low of $171.00 and a 52 week high of $242.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $222.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $215.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $138.32 billion, a PE ratio of 38.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.93.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.09. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 14.71%.The business had revenue of $6.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. This is an increase from Danaher's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Danaher's payout ratio is currently 25.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on DHR shares. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Danaher from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Danaher from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $254.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $253.86.

Insider Activity at Danaher

In other news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total value of $274,573.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,060,642.99. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 11.10% of the company's stock.

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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