Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) Shares Purchased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV grew its position in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 9.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 244,054 shares of the conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 20,455 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Danaher were worth $50,031,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in DHR. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,130,740,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Danaher by 24,958.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,870,847 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $383,524,000 after purchasing an additional 1,863,381 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Danaher in the fourth quarter worth approximately $391,172,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its stake in Danaher by 4,248.8% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,639,500 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $376,347,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Danaher by 32.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,361,183 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,460,215,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566,658 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Danaher Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $198.20 on Monday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $194.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $208.15. Danaher Corporation has a one year low of $171.00 and a one year high of $281.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $141.84 billion, a PE ratio of 38.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.77.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.26. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.80% and a net margin of 15.81%. The business had revenue of $5.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.58 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Danaher's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on shares of Danaher from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 target price (up from $215.00) on shares of Danaher in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Danaher from $231.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Danaher from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $248.61.

Insider Activity

In other Danaher news, Chairman Steven M. Rales sold 1,250,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.74, for a total value of $245,925,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 3,105,808 shares in the company, valued at $611,036,665.92. This trade represents a 28.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Christopher Paul Riley sold 15,805 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $3,129,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,179 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,005,442. This trade represents a 51.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 11.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Danaher Company Profile

Danaher Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services worldwide. The Biotechnology segments offers bioprocess technologies, consumables, and services that advance, accelerate, and integrate the development and manufacture of therapeutics; cell line and cell culture media development services; cell culture media, process liquids and buffers for manufacturing, chromatography resins, filtration technologies, aseptic fill finish; single-use hardware and consumables and services, such as the design and installation of full manufacturing suites; lab filtration, separation, and purification; lab-scale protein purification and analytical tools; reagents, membranes, and services; and healthcare filtration solutions.

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