Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 357,843 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 35,531 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.08% of Smith & Nephew worth $8,796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 87.6% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,480 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Smith & Nephew during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in Smith & Nephew by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,667 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC lifted its stake in Smith & Nephew by 391.4% in the fourth quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 2,457 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 1,957 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,975 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.64% of the company's stock.

Smith & Nephew Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE SNN traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $28.74. 267,760 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 805,955. 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 plc has a 52-week low of $23.69 and a 52-week high of $31.72. The business's fifty day moving average price is $27.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.68.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a $0.447 dividend. This is a positive change from Smith & Nephew's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. This represents a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Smith & Nephew's payout ratio is currently 41.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on SNN shares. UBS Group cut shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. HSBC downgraded shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Smith & Nephew from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Smith & Nephew from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Six research 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.00.

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.