Vanguard Group Inc. Has $13.96 Billion Position in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Vanguard Group owns 60,978,360 shares of Danaher (8.63% of the company), a position valued at about $13.96 billion after adding 84,292 shares (+0.1%) in Q4.
• Danaher beat quarterly EPS expectations ($2.06 vs. $1.94), set FY2026 guidance of $8.35–$8.55 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.40 (annualized $1.60, ~0.9% yield).
• Near-term headwinds include a ~$172.5M shareholder litigation settlement, a ~€3.0B euro-denominated senior notes offering that increases long-term debt, rising short interest (~17.8%), and some analyst price-target cuts weighing on the stock.

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,978,360 shares of the conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 84,292 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 8.63% of Danaher worth $13,959,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Danaher

Here are the key news stories impacting Danaher this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim reiterated a Buy rating on Danaher, supporting demand-side interest from institutional buyers. Guggenheim Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst price-target lift to $232 signals buy-side upside vs. current levels, which can support the stock if investors focus on medium-term earnings guidance. Price Target Raised to $232
• Neutral Sentiment: Danaher priced ~€3.0 billion of euro-denominated senior notes across maturities (2028–2038). This raises liquidity for operations or M&A but increases long-term debt on the balance sheet. Senior Notes Offering
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces question whether the recent share weakness makes DHR an attractive value play — useful for long-term investors but not an immediate catalyst. Valuation Article
• Negative Sentiment: Danaher agreed to settle shareholder litigation tied to its post‑pandemic outlook for about $172.5M, a direct hit to cash and a reminder of past forecasting issues; that likely pressured sentiment. Settlement Report
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~17.8% to 8.18M shares as of April 15 (≈1.3% of float; short-interest ratio ~2.5 days), indicating increased speculative/hedged bearish positioning that can amplify downward moves.
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target (from $270 to $255), and UBS issued a pessimistic forecast—both moves add analyst-driven downside pressure despite differing target levels. Morgan Stanley PT Cut UBS Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts/commentary flag Danaher’s Masimo acquisition as adding long-term potential but creating near-term margin and integration pressure, a nearer-term risk to earnings momentum. Masimo Deal Commentary

Danaher Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:DHR opened at $177.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.87. The firm has a market cap of $125.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.95. Danaher Corporation has a 52 week low of $175.00 and a 52 week high of $242.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $195.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $213.90.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. 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 last year, the business posted $1.88 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Danaher has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.350-8.550 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 27th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 27th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. This is a positive change from Danaher's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Danaher's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total value of $274,573.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,060,642.99. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a report on Tuesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $205.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Evercore upped their target price on shares of Danaher from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $240.70.

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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