New York, Feb 2, 2026, 16:57 (EST) — After-hours
- Danaher shares ended the day roughly 2.1% higher, closing at $223.42, and held steady in after-hours trading
- The company revealed 2026 targets for core revenue growth and adjusted profit just days before this move.
- Traders are focused on lab and pharma spending signals, alongside gaps in U.S. data caused by the shutdown this week
Danaher’s shares climbed about 2.1% to close at $223.42 on Monday, holding steady in after-hours trading. The stock swung between $216.90 and $224.00, with roughly 4.7 million shares traded, snapping a four-day slide. The broader market also saw gains, with the S&P 500 rising 0.54% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 1.05%. (MarketWatch)
Danaher’s latest outlook now serves as a key indicator for the life-sciences sector, suggesting whether lab spending is stabilizing after a volatile period. The company projects 2026 core revenue—a figure that excludes currency fluctuations and acquisition effects—to grow between 3% and 6%. Adjusted EPS is expected to land in the $8.35 to $8.50 range. Danaher also signaled low-single-digit core growth for Q1. (Danaher Corporation Investors)
Chief executive Rainer M. Blair told investors the company ended the year strong, with performance across its portfolio beating expectations. He highlighted more stable conditions in China diagnostics, where the business declined by only low single digits in Q4. The firm’s 2026 profit forecast came in broadly line with consensus estimates, according to LSEG data. (Reuters)
Life-sciences tools stocks are reacting to read-throughs as the sector anticipates a pickup in drugmaker R&D spending, despite universities pulling back. On Monday, Revvity reported results, highlighting that better pharma market conditions and fading policy uncertainty have offset weak academic research budgets. CEO Prahlad Singh said the company ended 2025 “solidly ahead of our expectations.” Last week, Reuters also flagged that Thermo Fisher Scientific and Danaher beat fourth-quarter forecasts. (Reuters)
Danaher’s investor relations page shows an 8-K filed on Jan. 28, timed with its quarterly report, plus another 8-K from Jan. 12. Investors are staying tuned for any new filings that could clarify the outlook for 2026. (Danaher Corporation Investors)
But the rebound leaves the key question unanswered: how quickly will customers resume buying tools and consumables once inventories clear and budgets open up? If bioprocessing orders pick up slowly, price pressure in China diagnostics intensifies, or research spending faces deeper cuts, this year’s targets could come under renewed threat.
Macro risks are mounting. The United States is in a partial government shutdown, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the January jobs report won’t come out Friday as planned. The House of Representatives is set to debate the legislation, aiming for a final vote Tuesday. Erica Groshen, a former BLS commissioner, said staff are “already under extreme pressure,” a situation that could boost volatility in yields and equity multiples. (Reuters)
On Tuesday, traders will be watching to see if DHR can maintain Monday’s rebound amid fresh earnings from healthcare and tools firms and ongoing funding talks in Washington. Danaher’s next key date is Feb. 11, when the company will take down the dial-in replay for its earnings call.
