Employees Retirement System of Texas Has $63 Million Stock Position in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Employees Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Danaher by 9.4% to 317,738 shares, a holding worth about $63 million at the end of the quarter.
• Danaher raised its quarterly dividend to $0.40 from $0.32 (annualized $1.60, yield ~0.9%), with an ex-dividend date of March 27 and payment on April 24.
• EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares at an average price of $208—cutting his position by 20.56%—while Danaher trades with a market cap of about $131.8B and carries a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy (target ~$253.86).

Employees Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 317,738 shares of the conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 27,216 shares during the quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Danaher were worth $62,995,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in Danaher in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in Danaher in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new position in Danaher during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,060,642.99. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 11.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Danaher Stock Down 4.4%

DHR stock opened at $186.39 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $131.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.93. Danaher Corporation has a twelve month low of $171.00 and a twelve month high of $242.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $219.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $215.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.09. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 14.71%.The company had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.14 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Danaher's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. Danaher's dividend payout ratio is 25.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on DHR shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Danaher in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Danaher from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $251.00 price target on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Argus set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Danaher presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.86.

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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