Ninety One UK Ltd Sells 12,023 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Ninety One UK Ltd cut its Danaher stake by 26.7%, selling 12,023 shares and retaining 33,088 shares valued at about $7.58 million, while institutions own roughly 79.1% of the stock.
• An insider transaction: EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares (a 20.56% reduction in his holdings), with company insiders holding 10.8% of Danaher.
• Company and market update: Danaher raised its quarterly dividend to $0.40 ($1.60 annual, 0.8% yield), reported Q earnings above estimates ($2.23 vs. $2.14), and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $246.50 price target.

Ninety One UK Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 26.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,088 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 12,023 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd's holdings in Danaher were worth $7,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of DHR. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Danaher by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 1,342 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $307,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Moran Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Danaher by 24.8% during the fourth quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,474 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Danaher by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,846 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,111,000 after buying an additional 720 shares during the period. Trivium Point Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Danaher by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 2,549 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $584,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Danaher by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 27,400 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $6,273,000 after buying an additional 6,737 shares during the period. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Danaher news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total value of $274,573.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,060,642.99. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Danaher Price Performance

Shares of DHR opened at $194.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $137.84 billion, a PE ratio of 38.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.87. Danaher Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $180.03 and a fifty-two week high of $242.80. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $198.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $214.79.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.79 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 14.71% and a return on equity of 10.81%. The business's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.14 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Danaher's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. Danaher's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DHR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $245.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Danaher from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Evercore reduced their price target on shares of Danaher from $254.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Danaher currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $246.50.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DHR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.