Milford Funds Ltd. Takes Position in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Milford Funds Ltd. disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Danaher, buying 269,420 shares worth about $61.7 million, making DHR its 29th largest holding.
• Institutional interest in Danaher remains strong, with hedge funds and other institutions owning 79.05% of the stock. Several firms recently added to or initiated positions in the company.
• Analysts have mostly buy ratings on Danaher, but several lowered price targets; the consensus target is $233.61 versus a recent share price around $179.95.

Milford Funds Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 269,420 shares of the conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $61,676,000. Danaher makes up 1.2% of Milford Funds Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its position in shares of Danaher by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 366,481 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $83,895,000 after purchasing an additional 74,301 shares during the last quarter. Maxi Investments CY Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,251,000. Defender Capital LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the 4th quarter worth about $35,715,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter worth about $17,480,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Danaher by 303.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 248,020 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $56,777,000 after purchasing an additional 186,584 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Argus decreased their target price on Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Danaher from $240.00 to $212.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Danaher from $270.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Danaher from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $233.61.

Danaher Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $179.95 on Friday. Danaher Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $160.93 and a fifty-two week high of $242.80. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $180.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $204.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 1.87. The firm has a market cap of $127.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.81.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 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 firm had revenue of $5.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Danaher Corporation will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Danaher's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.95%.

Danaher News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Danaher this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Danaher closed its $9.9 billion acquisition of Masimo, expanding its diagnostics and patient-monitoring portfolio with AI-enabled sensor technologies that could support longer-term growth. Danaher Boosts Product Portfolio With the Acquisition of Masimo
• Positive Sentiment: Cepheid, a Danaher company, donated Xpert Hemorrhagic Fever panel tests to support Ebola outbreak response in Africa, highlighting the company’s diagnostic relevance and public-health role. Cepheid Delivers Xpert Hemorrhagic Fever Panel Tests to Africa
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts noted strong performance in Danaher’s biotechnology unit, with bioprocessing demand and equipment orders rising, which supports the company’s 2026 growth outlook. Strong Performance Continues at DHR's Biotechnology Unit: What's Next?

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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