09:17 AM EST, 01/29/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Danaher ( DHR ) on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter earnings that fell short of market estimates, while the medical technology company expects its adjusted core revenue to decline in the ongoing three-month period.

Non-GAAP core revenue is forecast to decrease by low-single digits annually in the first quarter, the company said. In the previous quarter, the metric rose by 1% while the current consensus on FactSet is for sales of $5.65 billion for the first quarter. The stock was down 5.5% in premarket activity.

The medical equipment maker expects mid-single-digit core revenue declines in its life sciences and diagnostics segments for the ongoing quarter, while the metric for the biotechnology business is expected to gain 6% to 7%.

Danaher ( DHR ) posted adjusted earnings of $2.14 per share for the December quarter, up from $2.09 the year before, but below the Street's view for $2.16. Sales increased 2% year over year to $6.54 billion, ahead of the average analyst estimate of $6.44 billion.

Sales in the life sciences division inclined to $2.03 billion from $1.93 billion in the prior-year quarter, while biotechnology gained to $1.87 billion from $1.76 billion. Diagnostics revenue fell to $2.64 billion from $2.72 billion last year.

"We finished the year strong, with better-than-anticipated core revenue in all three of our segments," Chief Executive Rainer Blair said in the statement. "Good execution by our team also drove solid cash flow and operating margin expansion."

The company's adjusted operating profit margin rose to 21.8% from 20.9% last year. Selling, general and administrative expenses edged down to $2.02 billion from $2.04 billion, Danaher ( DHR ) said.

For the full year 2025, the company anticipates adjusted core revenue to advance by roughly 3% versus the 1.5% decrease logged in the previous year. Danaher ( DHR ) anticipates a revenue headwind of about 2% due to the recent strengthening of the US dollar, Blair said during an earnings call, according to a FactSet transcript.