Danaher's net earnings increase 13% to $680.6 million in third quarter 2014

Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR) today announced results for the third quarter of 2014.

Net earnings for the third quarter ended September 26, 2014 were $680.6 million, or $0.95 per share on a diluted basis, a 13% increase over diluted net earnings per share of $0.84 for the third quarter of 2013. Included in third quarter 2014 diluted net earnings per share is a $0.04 per share after-tax gain on the divestiture of a product line and a $0.01 per share benefit from discrete tax items.

Revenues for the third quarter of 2014 were $4.9 billion, 4.5% higher than the $4.7 billion reported for the third quarter of 2013. Core revenues increased 3% in the third quarter of 2014 compared to the third quarter of 2013.

The Company anticipates that GAAP diluted net earnings per share for the quarter ending December 31, 2014 will be in the range of $1.00 to $1.04. Included in this range is approximately $125 million, or approximately $0.13 per diluted share, of anticipated productivity charges that are partially offset by an approximate $0.07 per diluted share anticipated gain on the sale of marketable securities.

Thomas P Joyce, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "The Danaher team executed well, using the Danaher Business System to expand margins, generate strong cash flow performance, drive meaningful share gains and deliver better-than-expected earnings. As we plan for 2015, we remain mindful of the challenging macroeconomic outlook including the recently stronger dollar. However, we believe our focus on high-impact growth investments and margin expansion, combined with our robust balance sheet and M&A capacity, position us to finish 2014 well and drive long term results."