danaher 04-4Q-REL

Danaher Corporation reported record results for the fourth quarter and full year 2004 with net earnings increasing 26% and 36% respectively over the previous year. Fourth quarter sales increased 33% to $1.98 billion while full year sales grew 30% to $6.89 billion. The company also expanded its segment reporting to three segments: Professional Instrumentation, Industrial Technologies, and Tools and Components. The CEO stated they were pleased with the strong gains across all three segments and record cash flow of $1.03 billion, a 20% increase over 2003.