Vestor Capital LLC Cuts Stake in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Vestor Capital cut its Danaher stake by 96.2% in the first quarter, selling 17,304 shares and retaining 677 shares worth approximately $128,000.
• Danaher reported quarterly EPS of $1.94 versus the $1.85 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $6.26 billion, up 5.5% year over year and above estimates.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $228.91 price target, despite several recent target-price reductions.

Vestor Capital LLC lessened its stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 96.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 677 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 17,304 shares during the quarter. Vestor Capital LLC's holdings in Danaher were worth $128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Danaher by 303.7% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 248,020 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $56,777,000 after acquiring an additional 186,584 shares in the last quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Danaher in the fourth quarter valued at $4,477,000. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,495,287 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,029,061,000 after purchasing an additional 43,169 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in Danaher by 220.2% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 674,373 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $154,377,000 after purchasing an additional 463,764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in Danaher by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 292,894 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $69,296,000 after purchasing an additional 31,790 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Danaher Stock Performance

NYSE:DHR opened at $195.25 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.26 billion, a PE ratio of 34.68, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.79. The stock's fifty day moving average is $188.36 and its 200 day moving average is $195.66. Danaher Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $160.93 and a fifty-two week high of $242.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.65.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The conglomerate reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. Danaher had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 11.04%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. Danaher's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Danaher Corporation will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 26th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Danaher's payout ratio is currently 28.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DHR has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Danaher from $240.00 to $236.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Danaher from $212.00 to $195.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Danaher from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on Danaher in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $228.91.

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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