22,000 Shares in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) Bought by Wexford Capital LP

Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 22,000 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $541,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SNN. J. Goldman & Co LP purchased a new position in Smith & Nephew during the 4th quarter worth $47,700,000. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 64.0% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,032,016 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $49,947,000 after purchasing an additional 792,829 shares during the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Smith & Nephew in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,820,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Smith & Nephew by 169.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 508,392 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $12,496,000 after purchasing an additional 320,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Smith & Nephew during the 4th quarter valued at $6,132,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.64% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Smith & Nephew Trading Down 1.3%

Smith & Nephew stock traded down $0.36 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $28.36. The stock had a trading volume of 659,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 800,001. The stock has a market cap of $12.42 billion, a PE ratio of 13.13, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.68. Smith & Nephew plc has a 52 week low of $23.69 and a 52 week high of $31.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.33.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

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