Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Decreases Stake in Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR)

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lowered its stake in shares of Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 97.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,071 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 71,283 shares during the quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC's holdings in Danaher were worth $425,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Danaher by 63.3% during the fourth quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 147 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in Danaher in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Danaher Stock Down 2.2%

NYSE:DHR traded down $4.59 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $200.51. 3,391,410 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,495,029. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Danaher Co. has a fifty-two week low of $171.00 and a fifty-two week high of $281.70. The company has a market capitalization of $143.50 billion, a PE ratio of 37.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $192.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $211.44.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $5.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.58 billion. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 16.33%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Danaher Co. will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.64%. Danaher's payout ratio is currently 24.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Danaher

In other Danaher news, Chairman Steven M. Rales sold 1,250,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.74, for a total transaction of $245,925,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 3,105,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,036,665.92. This represents a 28.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,005,442. The trade was a 51.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 11.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on DHR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Danaher from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Danaher from $240.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Danaher from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Danaher from $240.00 to $210.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Argus cut their price target on shares of Danaher from $260.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $248.17.

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.