Wintrust Investments LLC Lowers Position in Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR)

Wintrust Investments LLC trimmed its stake in Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR) by 46.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 288 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 248 shares during the quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC’s holdings in Danaher were worth $66,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Danaher during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Danaher during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Danaher during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in Danaher during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Danaher during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DHR has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Danaher from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Danaher in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $265.00 target price on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Danaher from $275.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Danaher from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Raymond James reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Danaher presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.00.

Danaher Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:DHR opened at $203.96 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $145.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.82. Danaher Co. has a 1-year low of $196.80 and a 1-year high of $281.70. The company’s fifty day moving average is $220.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.40.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The conglomerate reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.09 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Danaher Co. will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Danaher Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. This is a positive change from Danaher’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.24%.

Insider Transactions at Danaher

In other news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 5,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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.