Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Purchases 94,080 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 4.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,157,752 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 94,080 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.31% of Danaher worth $427,796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. White Pine Capital LLC grew its holdings in Danaher by 1.4% in the second quarter. White Pine Capital LLC now owns 3,494 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $690,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH boosted its position in shares of Danaher by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH now owns 2,524 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Danaher by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,195 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $236,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its position in Danaher by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 1,159 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in Danaher by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 467 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Danaher

In related news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 21,776 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.23, for a total transaction of $4,773,952.48. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,190,454.19. This represents a 59.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Georgeann Couchara sold 5,174 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.42, for a total transaction of $1,088,713.08. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,625 shares in the company, valued at $552,352.50. The trade was a 66.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 30,248 shares of company stock worth $6,609,663. 11.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Danaher Price Performance

DHR opened at $238.28 on Monday. Danaher Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $171.00 and a fifty-two week high of $258.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $225.77 and a 200 day moving average of $210.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market cap of $168.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.13, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.89.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6 billion. Danaher had a net margin of 14.44% and a return on equity of 10.92%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.71 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Danaher’s payout ratio is presently 26.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on DHR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Danaher in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $265.00 price target on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn restated a “neutral” rating and set a $220.00 price target (down previously from $245.00) on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Danaher from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, HSBC lifted their price target on Danaher from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.92.

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.