Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR) Holdings Decreased by Ellerson Group Inc. ADV

Ellerson Group Inc. ADV cut its holdings in Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,661 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 287 shares during the quarter. Danaher comprises about 2.3% of Ellerson Group Inc. ADV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Ellerson Group Inc. ADV’s holdings in Danaher were worth $3,136,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Danaher in the fourth quarter worth about $3,066,000. Permanent Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Danaher in the fourth quarter worth about $382,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its position in Danaher by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 10,876 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,497,000 after acquiring an additional 615 shares in the last quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Danaher by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 9,633 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,214,000 after buying an additional 1,098 shares during the period. Finally, Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC raised its holdings in Danaher by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC now owns 22,902 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $5,257,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Danaher Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of Danaher stock opened at $212.35 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $151.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.22, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $222.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $242.82. Danaher Co. has a 12-month low of $196.80 and a 12-month high of $281.70.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The conglomerate reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 16.33%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.09 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Danaher Co. will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Danaher’s payout ratio is 24.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DHR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Danaher from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 14th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on Danaher in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Danaher in a report on Monday, December 23rd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $265.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Danaher from $277.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $277.00 target price (down previously from $299.00) on shares of Danaher in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.00.

Insider Transactions at Danaher

In related news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 5,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.13, for a total value of $1,277,541.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,534,149.90. This represents a 21.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 11.10% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Company Profile

Danaher Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services worldwide. The Biotechnology segments offers bioprocess technologies, consumables, and services that advance, accelerate, and integrate the development and manufacture of therapeutics; cell line and cell culture media development services; cell culture media, process liquids and buffers for manufacturing, chromatography resins, filtration technologies, aseptic fill finish; single-use hardware and consumables and services, such as the design and installation of full manufacturing suites; lab filtration, separation, and purification; lab-scale protein purification and analytical tools; reagents, membranes, and services; and healthcare filtration solutions.