D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Acquires 128,780 Shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 340.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 166,587 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 128,780 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $4,095,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SNN. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 64.0% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,032,016 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $49,947,000 after purchasing an additional 792,829 shares during the period. Causeway Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Smith & Nephew in the 4th quarter valued at about $11,820,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Smith & Nephew by 169.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 508,392 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $12,496,000 after buying an additional 320,054 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Smith & Nephew during the 4th quarter worth about $4,992,000. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new stake in shares of Smith & Nephew in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,847,000. 25.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Smith & Nephew Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE SNN traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $28.70. The company had a trading volume of 467,312 shares, compared to its average volume of 800,991. 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 twelve month low of $23.69 and a twelve month high of $31.72. The stock's 50 day moving average is $27.45 and its 200-day moving average is $26.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.57 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 announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a $0.447 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Smith & Nephew's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. Smith & Nephew's payout ratio is 41.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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