Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR) Shares Acquired by Centaurus Financial Inc.

Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR – Get Rating) by 6.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,835 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings in Danaher were worth $474,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DHR. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 1.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,690,131 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $13,867,623,000 after purchasing an additional 995,501 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 0.8% in the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,061,833 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,043,836,000 after purchasing an additional 65,824 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 6.4% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,656,373 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,180,485,000 after purchasing an additional 279,432 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 10.2% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 4,649,220 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,157,183,000 after purchasing an additional 431,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 8.5% in the third quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 4,171,053 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,077,341,000 after purchasing an additional 328,151 shares in the last quarter. 77.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Danaher Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $242.96 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $177.02 billion, a PE ratio of 25.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Danaher Co. has a twelve month low of $233.71 and a twelve month high of $303.82. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $258.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $262.40.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 24th. The conglomerate reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.41. Danaher had a net margin of 22.91% and a return on equity of 17.97%. The firm had revenue of $8.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. Danaher’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Danaher Co. will post 10.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 31st will be given a $0.27 dividend. This is an increase from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is 10.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on DHR shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Danaher from $277.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Danaher from $321.00 to $309.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Danaher in a research note on Tuesday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $310.00 price target for the company. Credit Suisse Group downgraded shares of Danaher from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 5th. Finally, Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Danaher from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $310.29.

Insider Activity at Danaher

In related news, Director Raymond C. Stevens sold 8,410 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.27, for a total value of $2,222,510.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,218,282.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 11.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Danaher Company Profile

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Danaher Corp. engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services. It operates through the following segments: Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Diagnostics, and Environmental and Applied Solutions. The Biotechnology segment includes the bioprocessing and discovery and medical businesses and offers a range of tools, consumables, and services.