Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $27.00.

SNN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group cut shares of Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com raised Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Hsbc Global Res cut Smith & Nephew from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. HSBC cut Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Smith & Nephew in a report on Monday, March 17th.

Institutional Trading of Smith & Nephew

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Callan Capital LLC bought a new position in Smith & Nephew in the 1st quarter worth $260,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 15.6% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 618,691 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $17,552,000 after buying an additional 83,341 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Smith & Nephew by 63.3% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,047 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Smith & Nephew during the 1st quarter worth approximately $335,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Smith & Nephew in the 1st quarter worth approximately $211,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 25.64% of the company’s stock.

Smith & Nephew Trading Up 0.5 %

SNN stock opened at $26.94 on Friday. Smith & Nephew has a one year low of $23.69 and a one year high of $31.72. The company has a market capitalization of $11.80 billion, a PE ratio of 12.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.71. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $27.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 2.51.

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 $0.447 dividend. This is a positive change 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 (DPR) is currently 41.20%.

Smith & Nephew Company Profile

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.