Stryker Corporation $SYK Shares Sold by Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC

Key Points

• Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 250,000 shares at an average price of $362.92 for about $90.73 million, trimming her stake by 9.23%; company insiders now own roughly 4.6% of Stryker.
• Stryker beat quarterly expectations, reporting $4.47 EPS vs. $4.40 expected and revenue of $7.17 billion (up 11.4% year-over-year), with analysts forecasting about $14.92 EPS for the fiscal year.
• The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.88 (annualized $3.52, yield ~1.1%; ex-dividend March 31, payable April 30), and the stock carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with a $421.11 average price target amid some recent analyst price cuts.

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC decreased its stake in shares of Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 77,859 shares of the medical technology company's stock after selling 3,192 shares during the period. Stryker accounts for 2.7% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC's holdings in Stryker were worth $27,365,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SYK. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stryker in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stryker in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stryker in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Stryker in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Stryker by 181.6% in the 3rd quarter. Copia Wealth Management now owns 107 shares of the medical technology company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.09% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Stryker news, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 250,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $362.92, for a total transaction of $90,730,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,457,331 shares in the company, valued at $891,814,566.52. This trade represents a 9.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 4.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Stryker Price Performance

SYK stock opened at $329.63 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.89. Stryker Corporation has a 1 year low of $319.32 and a 1 year high of $404.87. The firm has a market cap of $126.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $351.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $358.80.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The medical technology company reported $4.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.40 by $0.07. Stryker had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 12.92%.The business had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.01 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Stryker Corporation will post 14.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Stryker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SYK has been the topic of a number of research reports. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stryker in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Stryker from $420.00 to $385.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Stryker from $403.00 to $357.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $397.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $465.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $421.11.

Stryker Company Profile

Stryker Corporation is a global medical technology company that designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of products and services for use in hospitals, surgeons' offices and other healthcare facilities. Its primary business activities span orthopedics (including joint replacement implants, trauma and extremities products), surgical equipment and operating room technologies (such as visualization, navigation and powered instruments), neurotechnology and spine solutions, and patient-handling and emergency medical equipment.

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