Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Increases Holdings in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its stake in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,203 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Stryker were worth $434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYK. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Stryker by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 3,653 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Stryker by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Stryker by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,816 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $654,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Stryker by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stryker by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,997 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. 77.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Stryker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Stryker from $420.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Stryker in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Stryker from $427.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $421.90.

Insider Transactions at Stryker

In related news, Director Allan C. Golston sold 2,458 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $383.07, for a total value of $941,586.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,705,827.65. This trade represents a 14.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.24, for a total value of $78,993,998.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,642,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,428,567,498. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.90% of the company’s stock.

Stryker Price Performance

SYK opened at $373.00 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $142.33 billion, a PE ratio of 48.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The business’s 50-day moving average is $384.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $374.34. Stryker Co. has a 1 year low of $314.93 and a 1 year high of $406.19.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.87 by $0.14. Stryker had a net margin of 13.25% and a return on equity of 23.58%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.46 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Stryker Co. will post 13.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stryker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.30%.

Stryker Profile

Stryker Corporation operates as a medical technology company. The company operates through two segments, MedSurg and Neurotechnology, and Orthopaedics and Spine. The Orthopaedics and Spine segment provides implants for use in total joint replacements, such as hip, knee and shoulder, and trauma and extremities surgeries.