Horizon Investments LLC Boosts Holdings in Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR)

Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR) by 108.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,303 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,021 shares during the quarter. Horizon Investments LLC’s holdings in Danaher were worth $4,431,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DHR. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Danaher by 4.1% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 1,229 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Danaher by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,870 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $4,412,000 after acquiring an additional 876 shares in the last quarter. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter worth about $267,000. Aljian Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter worth about $652,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,941,000. 79.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 5,700 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.13, for a total transaction of $1,277,541.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,230 shares in the company, valued at $4,534,149.90. This trade represents a 21.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 11.10% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Stock Performance

Shares of DHR stock opened at $212.78 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Danaher Co. has a 52 week low of $196.80 and a 52 week high of $281.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $152.08 billion, a PE ratio of 40.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $219.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.07.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The conglomerate reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14. Danaher had a net margin of 16.33% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.09 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Danaher Co. will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DHR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Danaher from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Danaher from $277.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Danaher from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Danaher from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $250.00 price target on shares of Danaher in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.76.

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.