Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Buys 61,561 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden increased its Danaher stake by 59.6% in the first quarter, buying 61,561 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 164,933 shares worth about $31.3 million.
• Danaher continues to attract heavy institutional interest, with hedge funds and other institutions owning 79.05% of the company’s shares. Several other investors also raised their positions during the period.
• The company posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $2.06 per share, though revenue came in slightly below forecasts. Danaher also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, and analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $233.61.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 59.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 164,933 shares of the conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 61,561 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Danaher were worth $31,271,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Danaher by 6.3% in 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. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Danaher by 34.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 55,418 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $10,947,000 after buying an additional 14,217 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its position in Danaher by 40.2% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,088 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $610,000 after buying an additional 886 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 29,592 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Danaher from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Danaher from $270.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Danaher from $240.00 to $212.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Danaher in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $233.61.

Danaher Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE:DHR opened at $197.85 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $178.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $200.56. The stock has a market cap of $140.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Danaher Corporation has a 12 month low of $160.93 and a 12 month high of $242.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Danaher had a net margin of 14.89% and a return on equity of 10.91%. The company had revenue of $5.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.88 earnings per share. Danaher's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Danaher's dividend payout ratio is 30.95%.

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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