Leerink Partners Raises Danaher (NYSE:DHR) Price Target to $270.00

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) had its price objective boosted by equities research analysts at Leerink Partners from $260.00 to $270.00 in a report released on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the conglomerate’s stock. Leerink Partners’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 14.38% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on DHR. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays increased their price objective on Danaher from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Danaher from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Rothschild Redb downgraded Danaher from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of Danaher from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $252.83.

Danaher Stock Performance

Shares of Danaher stock opened at $236.05 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $228.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $211.93. 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 company has a market capitalization of $166.73 billion, a PE ratio of 48.67, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.89. Danaher has a 12 month low of $171.00 and a 12 month high of $258.23.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6 billion. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.92% and a net margin of 14.44%.The company’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 earned $1.71 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Danaher will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Danaher

In related news, SVP Georgeann Couchara sold 5,174 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.42, for a total transaction of $1,088,713.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,352.50. This trade represents a 66.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 21,776 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.23, for a total value of $4,773,952.48. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,190,454.19. This trade represents a 59.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 30,248 shares of company stock worth $6,609,663 over the last quarter. 11.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Danaher during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Danaher in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Danaher Company 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.