Robeco Schweiz AG Decreases Holdings in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Robeco Schweiz AG trimmed its Danaher stake by 6.0%, selling 17,194 shares to hold 269,328 shares valued at $61.655 million, making DHR its 26th-largest holding (1.4% of the portfolio).
• Other institutions were buyers—most notably Massachusetts Financial Services boosted its stake by 104.7% to 4.33 million shares, while Generation Investment Management and Capital International also increased positions—leaving institutional ownership at 79.05%.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target of $240.70, though several firms have recently cut targets or downgraded the stock.

Robeco Schweiz AG trimmed its position in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 269,328 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 17,194 shares during the quarter. Danaher makes up 1.4% of Robeco Schweiz AG's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Robeco Schweiz AG's holdings in Danaher were worth $61,655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DHR. Capital International Investors increased its position in Danaher by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 16,758,240 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $3,318,926,000 after purchasing an additional 312,951 shares in the last quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP lifted its holdings in Danaher by 34.0% in the 3rd quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 6,654,666 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,319,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,689,020 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of Danaher by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,452,118 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $882,677,000 after purchasing an additional 211,053 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Danaher by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,369,219 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $866,241,000 after purchasing an additional 28,583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 104.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,333,056 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $991,923,000 after buying an additional 2,216,789 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DHR. Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Danaher from $275.00 to $235.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $205.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Danaher from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $240.70.

Danaher Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of DHR stock opened at $174.85 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $191.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $212.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.52. Danaher Corporation has a 1-year low of $172.06 and a 1-year high of $242.80. The firm has a market cap of $123.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.82, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.81.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $6 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. Danaher's revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid 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 payout ratio is currently 30.95%.

Insider Activity at Danaher

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