Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) Shares Sold by Fiduciary Management Inc. WI

Fiduciary Management Inc. WI lessened its stake in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,998,641 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 233,062 shares during the period. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI owned about 0.91% of Smith & Nephew worth $98,287,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SNN. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 79.7% in the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 166,403 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $4,090,000 after buying an additional 73,794 shares during the period. Causeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Smith & Nephew during the fourth quarter worth about $11,820,000. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in shares of Smith & Nephew by 53.0% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 64,146 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,577,000 after purchasing an additional 22,218 shares during the period. Barclays PLC acquired a new position in shares of Smith & Nephew in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $431,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 19.0% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 17,557 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 2,798 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 25.64% of the company’s stock.

Smith & Nephew Price Performance

Smith & Nephew stock opened at $25.90 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $11.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Smith & Nephew plc has a 12-month low of $23.69 and a 12-month high of $31.72.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.447 per share. This is a boost from Smith & Nephew’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. This represents a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Smith & Nephew’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Smith & Nephew in a research report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com raised Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.00.

About Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew plc engages in the development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of medical devices. It operates through the following segments: Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine and ENT, and Advanced Wound Management. The Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine and ENT segment consists of the following businesses: knee implants, hip implants, other reconstruction, trauma, sports medicine joint repair, arthroscopic enabling technologies, and ENT.