Wolfe Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Danaher (NYSE:DHR) Stock Price

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) had its price objective dropped by equities researchers at Wolfe Research from $260.00 to $230.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the conglomerate’s stock. Wolfe Research’s target price indicates a potential upside of 19.10% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on DHR. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Danaher from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Robert W. Baird set a $251.00 price objective on Danaher in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Danaher from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Danaher from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $251.35.

Danaher Price Performance

Shares of DHR opened at $193.12 on Wednesday. Danaher has a 1 year low of $175.51 and a 1 year high of $242.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The company has a market capitalization of $136.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50-day moving average of $201.61 and a 200-day moving average of $214.31.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.09. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 14.71%.The company had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.79 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Danaher will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Danaher news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the firm’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 value of $274,573.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,060,642.99. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 11.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Danaher

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DHR. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Danaher in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,177,106,000. Viking Global Investors LP grew its stake in Danaher by 543.9% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,907,515 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $574,351,000 after acquiring an additional 2,455,994 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Danaher by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,333,056 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $991,923,000 after acquiring an additional 2,216,789 shares during the period. Generation Investment Management LLP grew its stake in Danaher by 34.0% in the third quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 6,654,666 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,319,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,689,020 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Danaher by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,076,796 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,451,380,000 after acquiring an additional 1,517,904 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

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.