Danaher (NYSE:DHR) Upgraded to Moderate Buy at Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Danaher (NYSE:DHR) to a moderate buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

DHR has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Danaher from $270.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays reduced their target price on Danaher from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Danaher from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $205.00 target price on Danaher in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $238.65.

Danaher Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $161.95 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $114.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Danaher has a 12-month low of $160.93 and a 12-month high of $242.80. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $210.38.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.91% and a net margin of 14.89%.The business had revenue of $5.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. Danaher’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Danaher will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Danaher’s payout ratio is 30.95%.

Insider Transactions at Danaher

In other Danaher news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction dated 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Danaher

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Enterprise Financial Services Corp boosted its stake in Danaher by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 3,219 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 3,348 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $766,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 292 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,104 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

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.