Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) Short Interest Down 17.5% in March

Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,980,000 shares, a decrease of 17.5% from the March 15th total of 2,400,000 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 972,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Smith & Nephew Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE SNN traded down $0.75 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $23.77. The stock had a trading volume of 1,068,235 shares, compared to its average volume of 816,715. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $26.75 and a 200-day moving average of $25.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.77. Smith & Nephew has a 12-month low of $21.52 and a 12-month high of $33.08.

Smith & Nephew Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.462 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 1st. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Smith & Nephew

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 397.3% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 920 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 735 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in Smith & Nephew by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 954 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Smith & Nephew during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Smith & Nephew by 1,566.2% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,133 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in Smith & Nephew by 224.3% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,015 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 25.64% of the company's stock.

Smith & Nephew Company Profile

Smith & Nephew plc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells medical devices and services in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through three segments: Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine & ENT, and Advanced Wound Management. The company offers knee implant products for knee replacement procedures; hip implants for revision procedures; trauma and extremities products that include internal and external devices used in the stabilization of severe fractures and deformity correction procedures; and other reconstruction products.