Danaher Corporation $DHR Holdings Lowered by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Moody National Bank Trust Division reduced its stake in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 31.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,716 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 3,022 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Danaher were worth $1,537,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher in the third quarter valued at $25,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Danaher in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher during the second quarter worth $27,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Danaher in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Price Performance

NYSE DHR opened at $190.04 on Wednesday. Danaher Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $171.00 and a fifty-two week high of $242.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $212.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $214.90. The firm has a market cap of $134.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $6.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.79 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. This is a positive change from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on DHR. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Danaher from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Danaher from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Danaher from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Nineteen equities 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, Danaher currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total value of $274,573.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,060,642.99. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 11.20% of the company’s stock.

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.