Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $28.00.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. HSBC cut shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen raised Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Smith & Nephew from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group downgraded shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Smith & Nephew from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th.

Smith & Nephew Stock Performance

Shares of SNN stock traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $28.65. 948,581 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 798,440. Smith & Nephew has a fifty-two week low of $23.69 and a fifty-two 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 has a market capitalization of $12.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $27.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.40.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a $0.447 dividend. This is a positive change from Smith & Nephew's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. This represents a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Smith & Nephew's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Smith & Nephew

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Smith & Nephew by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,120 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 36.5% during the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,667 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,149 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Smith & Nephew by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 17,704 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 25.64% of the company's stock.

About Smith & Nephew

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.