Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) Shares Acquired by Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University raised its stake in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 17.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,395 shares of the conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 3,558 shares during the quarter. Danaher comprises approximately 0.9% of Vanderbilt University's holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Vanderbilt University's holdings in Danaher were worth $4,796,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Danaher by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,983 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $914,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co grew its holdings in Danaher by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 8,287 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,902,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Danaher by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Danaher by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,343 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its holdings in Danaher by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,739 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Danaher Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of Danaher stock traded up $1.79 during trading on Friday, hitting $196.23. 6,548,950 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,490,036. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $193.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $209.69. Danaher Corporation has a 52-week low of $171.00 and a 52-week high of $281.70. The firm has a market cap of $140.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $5.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.58 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 15.81% and a return on equity of 10.80%. On average, equities analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. Danaher's payout ratio is currently 24.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DHR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Danaher from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Danaher from $240.00 to $210.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America lowered their target price on Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Danaher from $240.00 to $235.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $248.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Danaher

In related news, EVP Christopher Paul Riley sold 15,805 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $3,129,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,179 shares in the company, valued at $3,005,442. The trade was a 51.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Steven M. Rales sold 1,250,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.74, for a total transaction of $245,925,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 3,105,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $611,036,665.92. This trade represents a 28.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 11.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Danaher Profile

Danaher Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services worldwide. The Biotechnology segments offers bioprocess technologies, consumables, and services that advance, accelerate, and integrate the development and manufacture of therapeutics; cell line and cell culture media development services; cell culture media, process liquids and buffers for manufacturing, chromatography resins, filtration technologies, aseptic fill finish; single-use hardware and consumables and services, such as the design and installation of full manufacturing suites; lab filtration, separation, and purification; lab-scale protein purification and analytical tools; reagents, membranes, and services; and healthcare filtration solutions.