Ethic Inc. Has $836,000 Stake in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

Ethic Inc. lessened its holdings in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 32.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,032 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 16,501 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 87.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,480 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Smith & Nephew in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in Smith & Nephew by 36.5% in the 4th 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 boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Smith & Nephew by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,871 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $144,000 after acquiring an additional 1,213 shares during the last quarter. 25.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Smith & Nephew Price Performance

NYSE SNN traded up $0.24 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $29.34. 73,738 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 800,284. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $27.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 2.51. The company has a market cap of $12.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.68. Smith & Nephew plc has a 1-year low of $23.69 and a 1-year high of $31.72.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.447 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This is a boost from Smith & Nephew's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. This represents a dividend yield of 2.5%. Smith & Nephew's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on SNN. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Smith & Nephew from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group lowered shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Smith & Nephew from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. HSBC lowered Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Smith & Nephew has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.00.

Smith & Nephew 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.