James Hambro & Partners LLP Sells 67,136 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

James Hambro & Partners LLP cut its holdings in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 44.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,768 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 67,136 shares during the period. Danaher makes up approximately 0.7% of James Hambro & Partners LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. James Hambro & Partners LLP’s holdings in Danaher were worth $19,183,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Boston Common Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Danaher by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 86,672 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $19,841,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Pacific Capital Partners Ltd grew its position in shares of Danaher by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Pacific Capital Partners Ltd now owns 27,250 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $6,238,000 after buying an additional 2,250 shares during the period. Northstar Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,382,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its stake in shares of Danaher by 28.2% in the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 137,920 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,573,000 after acquiring an additional 30,333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 249,336 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $57,078,000 after acquiring an additional 5,736 shares during the period. 79.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 11.20% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $183.93 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $208.26 and its 200 day moving average is $214.62. Danaher Corporation has a 12-month low of $171.00 and a 12-month high of $242.80. The stock has a market cap of $130.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.49, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $6.79 billion. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 14.71%.Danaher’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.14 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 27th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 27th. This is an increase from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Danaher’s payout ratio is 31.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DHR. Robert W. Baird set a $251.00 target price on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Friday. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of Danaher from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Danaher in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on Danaher from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

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.