Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $63.71 Million Position in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 176,956 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after buying an additional 10,856 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Stryker were worth $63,713,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stryker during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stryker by 94.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 76 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stryker during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in Stryker during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Stryker in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.09% of the company’s stock.

Stryker Stock Performance

Shares of SYK opened at $379.28 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $382.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $373.19. Stryker Co. has a 12 month low of $314.93 and a 12 month high of $406.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.95.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.87 by $0.14. Stryker had a return on equity of 23.58% and a net margin of 13.25%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.46 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Stryker Co. will post 13.47 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.30%.

Insider Activity at Stryker

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on SYK shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $442.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Stryker from $420.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Stryker from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Stryker in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Stryker from $425.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stryker has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $422.15.

Stryker Company 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.