General Electric (GE) Competitors

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) and General Electric (NYSE:GE) are both large-cap multi-sector conglomerates companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, media sentiment, profitability, community ranking and earnings.

Does the MarketBeat Community favor DHR or GE?

General Electric received 1080 more outperform votes than Danaher when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 75.34% of users gave General Electric an outperform vote while only 74.50% of users gave Danaher an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Danaher	Outperform Votes 1046 74.50%	Underperform Votes 358 25.50%
General Electric	Outperform Votes 2126 75.34%	Underperform Votes 696 24.66%

Which has higher earnings & valuation, DHR or GE?

General Electric has higher revenue and earnings than Danaher. General Electric is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Danaher, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Danaher	$23.74B	7.30	$4.76B	$5.24	45.77
General Electric	$69.95B	2.65	$9.48B	$5.69	30.14

Does the media prefer DHR or GE?

In the previous week, General Electric had 5 more articles in the media than Danaher. MarketBeat recorded 22 mentions for General Electric and 17 mentions for Danaher. Danaher's average media sentiment score of 0.72 beat General Electric's score of 0.71 indicating that Danaher is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Danaher	10 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
General Electric	11 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of DHR or GE?

79.1% of Danaher shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 74.8% of General Electric shares are held by institutional investors. 11.1% of Danaher shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.7% of General Electric shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is DHR or GE a better dividend stock?

Danaher pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. General Electric pays an annual dividend of $1.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Danaher pays out 20.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. General Electric pays out 19.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. General Electric is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has more volatility and risk, DHR or GE?

Danaher has a beta of 0.83, suggesting that its share price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, General Electric has a beta of 1.19, suggesting that its share price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts recommend DHR or GE?

Danaher presently has a consensus target price of $286.80, indicating a potential upside of 19.58%. General Electric has a consensus target price of $201.47, indicating a potential upside of 17.49%. Given Danaher's higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Danaher is more favorable than General Electric.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Danaher	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	15 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.75
General Electric	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	14 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.88

Is DHR or GE more profitable?

Danaher has a net margin of 16.39% compared to General Electric's net margin of 11.48%. General Electric's return on equity of 18.93% beat Danaher's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Danaher	16.39%	10.62%	6.76%
General Electric	11.48%	18.93%	3.20%

Summary

General Electric beats Danaher on 11 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.