Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $27.00.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SNN. UBS Group downgraded shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Smith & Nephew in a report on Monday, March 17th. HSBC downgraded Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Hsbc Global Res lowered Smith & Nephew from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th.

Institutional Trading of Smith & Nephew

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SNN. Callan Capital LLC acquired a new position in Smith & Nephew in the 1st quarter valued at about $260,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 618,691 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $17,552,000 after buying an additional 83,341 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 63.3% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,047 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Smith & Nephew in the 1st quarter valued at $335,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Smith & Nephew during the first quarter worth about $211,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 25.64% of the company's stock.

Smith & Nephew Trading Up 4.6 %

Shares of SNN traded up $1.24 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $28.16. The company had a trading volume of 939,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 819,803. The firm has a market cap of $12.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.71. Smith & Nephew has a 52-week low of $23.69 and a 52-week high of $31.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $27.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.32.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.447 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Smith & Nephew's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. This represents a yield of 2.5%. Smith & Nephew's payout ratio is presently 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.