Danaher (NYSE:DHR) Stock Bumped Down to Hold by DZ Bank

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) was downgraded by equities researchers at DZ Bank from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on DHR. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Danaher from $212.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Danaher in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Danaher from $246.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Citigroup increased their target price on Danaher from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Danaher currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $242.91.

Danaher Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DHR opened at $233.72 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $218.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $201.81. Danaher has a 52-week low of $160.93 and a 52-week high of $242.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $164.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.76.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The conglomerate reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.56 billion. Danaher had a return on equity of 11.17% and a net margin of 16.91%. Danaher’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Danaher will post 8.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Danaher in the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,492,520,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Danaher during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,456,317,000. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in Danaher during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,287,949,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 2nd quarter worth about $993,846,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 2nd quarter worth about $801,056,000. 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 develops products, services and solutions for the life sciences, biotechnology and diagnostics markets. Its offerings help researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, healthcare providers and other organizations conduct scientific research, develop and manufacture medicines, and diagnose disease.

The company operates through businesses that provide bioprocessing equipment and technologies, laboratory instruments, consumables, analytical tools and clinical diagnostic systems.