Danaher Corporation $DHR Shares Sold by First Merchants Corp

First Merchants Corp reduced its stake in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,880 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,614 shares during the period. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Danaher were worth $6,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DHR. White Pine Capital LLC grew its stake in Danaher by 1.4% in the second quarter. White Pine Capital LLC now owns 3,494 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $690,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH grew its position in shares of Danaher by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH now owns 2,524 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Danaher by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,195 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Danaher by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 1,159 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in Danaher by 13.1% during the second quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 467 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $236.60 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $224.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $209.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.78, a PEG ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.89. Danaher Corporation has a 52 week low of $171.00 and a 52 week high of $258.23.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.92% and a net margin of 14.44%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.71 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on DHR. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Danaher from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $220.00 price objective (down previously from $245.00) on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $247.00 target price on Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. TD Cowen upped their target price on Danaher from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Danaher from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $249.50.

Insider Activity at Danaher

In related news, Director Teri List sold 3,298 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.50, for a total value of $746,997.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,702,593. This represents a 13.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Georgeann Couchara sold 5,174 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.42, for a total transaction of $1,088,713.08. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,352.50. The trade was a 66.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 30,248 shares of company stock worth $6,609,663 over the last ninety days. 11.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Danaher 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.