Ascent Group LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Ascent Group LLC increased its position in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 28.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,723 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,811 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Danaher were worth $2,913,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JB Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Danaher during the fourth quarter valued at $224,000. Tran Capital Management L.P. raised its position in Danaher by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Tran Capital Management L.P. now owns 182,224 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $41,715,000 after buying an additional 2,420 shares during the last quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. raised its position in Danaher by 95.1% in the 4th quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 3,409 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $780,000 after buying an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Danaher during the 4th quarter valued at about $493,000. Finally, Stratos Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 1,243 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Danaher Stock Performance

DHR opened at $191.18 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $204.49 and its 200 day moving average is $214.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $135.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.93, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. Danaher Corporation has a 12-month low of $171.00 and a 12-month high of $242.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.79 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 14.71% and a return on equity of 10.81%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.14 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 27th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is 31.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Danaher

In related news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 11.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DHR. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Danaher from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Danaher from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

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.