Leonteq Securities AG Raises Stock Holdings in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Leonteq Securities AG boosted its Danaher stake by 124.8% in the first quarter, ending with 12,805 shares worth about $2.43 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their positions, and 79.05% of Danaher’s stock is held by institutions, indicating strong professional ownership.
• Wall Street remains generally positive on DHR, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $233.61, while the company recently beat EPS estimates and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share.

Leonteq Securities AG increased its stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 124.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,805 shares of the conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 7,109 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG's holdings in Danaher were worth $2,428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 59.6% during the 1st quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 164,933 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $31,271,000 after acquiring an additional 61,561 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Danaher by 36.6% during the 1st quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 11,204 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $2,129,000 after acquiring an additional 3,004 shares during the period. Platform Technology Partners boosted its holdings in Danaher by 58.0% during the 1st quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 1,811 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $343,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Danaher by 97.3% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,953 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $370,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Danaher by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,755 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $2,885,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on DHR. Citigroup began coverage on Danaher in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Danaher from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Danaher from $251.00 to $249.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Evercore raised their price target on shares of Danaher from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell 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 $233.61.

Danaher Stock Performance

Shares of DHR opened at $197.85 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $140.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.79. The business's 50 day moving average price is $178.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $200.56. Danaher Corporation has a 52 week low of $160.93 and a 52 week high of $242.80.

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

Danaher Announces Dividend

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

About Danaher

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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