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Danaher (DHR) Down 7.8% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Rebound?

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It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Danaher (DHR - Free Report) . Shares have lost about 7.8% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.

Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Danaher due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.

Danaher Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates, Life Sciences Sales Rise Y/Y

Danaher’s fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings of $2.14 per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.17. The bottom line increased 2.4% year over year.

Danaher reported net sales of $6.5 billion, which beat the consensus estimate of $6.4 billion. The metric increased 2.1% year over year, driven by robust sales in the Diagnostics and Life Sciences segments.

The company’s core sales increased 1%. Acquisitions had a positive impact of 1.5% on quarterly sales while foreign-currency translations had an adverse impact of 0.5%.

Segmental Discussion

Revenues from the Life Sciences segment totaled $2.03 billion, up 5.5% year over year. We expected the segment’s revenues to be $1.96 billion. Core sales increased 1% year over year. Acquisitions had a positive impact of 5% on segmental sales while foreign-currency translations had a negative impact of 0.5%. Operating profit was $376 million, up 60% year over year. 

Revenues from the Diagnostics segment totaled $2.64 billion, down 3% year over year. Our estimate for revenues was $2.54 billion. Core sales decreased 2% year over year while foreign currency had an adverse impact of 1% on sales. Operating profit was $624 million, down 18.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Revenues from the Biotechnology segment totaled $1.87 billion, up 6.5% year over year. Our estimate was $1.89 billion. Core sales increased 8% year over year while foreign-currency translations had an adverse impact of 1.5%. Adjusted operating profit was $508 million, up 22.1% year over year.

Danaher’s Margin Profile

In the fourth quarter, Danaher’s cost of sales increased 0.8% year over year to $2.6 billion. Gross profit of $3.4 billion increased 3.8% year over year. The gross margin was 59.5% compared with 59% in the year-ago quarter.

Selling, general and administrative expenses of $2.02 billion recorded a decrease of 0.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research and development expenses were $442 million, up 8.6% year over year.

Danaher’s operating profit increased 6.6% year over year to $1.43 billion. Operating margin contracted to 21.8% from 20.9% in the year-ago quarter.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

Exiting the fourth quarter, it had cash and equivalents of $2.1 billion compared with $5.9 billion in 2023-end. Long-term debt was $15.5 billion at the end of the quarter compared with $16.7 billion at the end of December 2023.

Danaher generated net cash of $6.68 billion from operating activities in 2024 compared with $6.49 billion in the previous year’s comparable period. Capital expenditures totaled $1.39 billion in the same period, up 0.7% year over year. Adjusted free cash flow increased 3.5% year over year to $5.31 billion in 2024.

In the same period, it paid out dividends of $768 million, down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Danaher’s Outlook

For the first quarter of 2025, Danaher expects adjusted core sales from continuing operations to decline low-single digits on a year-over-year basis.

The metric is anticipated to increase approximately 3% on a year-over-year basis in 2025.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

It turns out, estimates revision have trended downward during the past month.

The consensus estimate has shifted -18.27% due to these changes.

VGM Scores

Currently, Danaher has a subpar Growth Score of D, though it is lagging a bit on the Momentum Score front with an F. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Outlook

Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. It's no surprise Danaher has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We expect a below average return from the stock in the next few months.


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