Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. Boosts Stock Position in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. increased its Danaher stake by 57.5% in Q4, buying 14,560 more shares and bringing its position to 39,900 shares worth about $9.13 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Danaher, with 19 Buy ratings and 3 Hold ratings and a consensus Moderate Buy rating; the average price target is $238.65.
• Danaher reported Q1 earnings of $2.06 per share, beating estimates, while revenue came in slightly below expectations at $5.95 billion. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share.

Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 57.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,900 shares of the conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 14,560 shares during the period. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Danaher were worth $9,134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DHR. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,009 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 64.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 75,714 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $14,957,000 after buying an additional 29,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in Danaher by 30.7% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,383 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. 79.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Friday, March 27th. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Danaher from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Evercore lifted their target price on Danaher from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Danaher presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $238.65.

Danaher Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of DHR opened at $161.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $114.62 billion, a PE ratio of 31.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.81. The business's 50 day moving average is $186.30 and its 200 day moving average is $210.38. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $5.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6 billion. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.91% and a net margin of 14.89%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.88 EPS. Research analysts expect that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. Danaher's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Danaher news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total transaction of $274,573.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at $1,060,642.99. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 10.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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