Lighthouse Financial Services Inc. ADV Acquires Shares of 7,953 Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Lighthouse Financial Services disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Danaher, buying 7,953 shares valued at about $1.82 million.
• Institutional ownership in Danaher remains high, with hedge funds and other institutions holding about 79.05% of the stock. Insider activity was mixed, as EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares in February.
• Analysts remain broadly positive despite recent target cuts: Danaher has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, and the average price target is about $240.70. The stock recently traded near $170.98, and Danaher also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share.

Lighthouse Financial Services Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 7,953 shares of the conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $1,821,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Danaher during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Danaher during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Danaher during the second quarter valued at $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in shares of Danaher during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Danaher during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Danaher from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim reduced their price target on Danaher from $275.00 to $235.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on Danaher from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Danaher from $240.00 to $212.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Danaher in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Danaher presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $240.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total value of $274,573.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,060,642.99. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Danaher Price Performance

NYSE DHR opened at $170.98 on Friday. Danaher Corporation has a one year low of $170.74 and a one year high of $242.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $191.25 and a 200 day moving average of $212.54. The company has a market capitalization of $121.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.07, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 1.87.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $6 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. Danaher's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. Danaher's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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