Danaher Corporation $DHR Shares Bought by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments raised its stake in Danaher by 5.4% to 1,052,626 shares (about 0.15% of the company), valued at roughly $207.8 million at quarter-end.
• Danaher topped expectations with Q EPS of $2.23 versus $2.14 and revenue of $6.84 billion (up 4.6% YoY), and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.40 ($1.60 annualized, ~0.8% yield).
• Analyst sentiment is largely positive—20 Buy ratings vs. 3 Holds—giving Danaher a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.86.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 5.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,052,626 shares of the conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 53,887 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.15% of Danaher worth $207,812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Danaher by 6.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,009 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 5,375 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 4,541 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 16.0% during the 2nd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,972 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $983,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Danaher by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 3,297 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $651,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Danaher Stock Performance

NYSE:DHR opened at $195.60 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $222.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $215.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market cap of $138.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.81, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.93. Danaher Corporation has a 1-year low of $171.00 and a 1-year high of $242.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $2.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Danaher's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Danaher's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DHR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Danaher from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. HSBC increased their target price on Danaher from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Danaher from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Danaher presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.86.

Insider Transactions at Danaher

In other Danaher news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total value of $274,573.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,060,642.99. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 11.20% of the stock is owned by corporate 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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