Meridian Financial Partners LLC Takes $896,000 Position in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Meridian Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,373 shares of the conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $896,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DHR. Aljian Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 8.9% during the third quarter. Aljian Capital Management LLC now owns 3,830 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $759,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Danaher by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 1,215 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Danaher in the 3rd quarter worth about $292,000. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in Danaher by 120.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 9,912 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,965,000 after acquiring an additional 5,422 shares during the period. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Danaher by 33.0% during the 3rd quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,514 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Danaher Price Performance

NYSE DHR opened at $230.76 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $223.31 and its 200 day moving average is $208.61. Danaher Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $171.00 and a fifty-two week high of $258.23. 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 company has a market capitalization of $162.99 billion, a PE ratio of 47.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.89.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.17. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.92% and a net margin of 14.44%.The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.71 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Danaher from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Danaher from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Danaher in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $265.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $247.00 target price on Danaher in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $248.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Brian W. Ellis sold 21,776 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.23, for a total value of $4,773,952.48. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,190,454.19. This represents a 59.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Teri List sold 3,298 shares of Danaher stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.50, for a total transaction of $746,997.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,702,593. This trade represents a 13.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 30,248 shares of company stock worth $6,609,663 over the last three months. 11.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Danaher Company Profile

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.