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

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

SNN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group cut shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. HSBC cut shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Smith & Nephew from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Smith & Nephew from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st.

Smith & Nephew Price Performance

SNN stock opened at $29.09 on Tuesday. 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 $12.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.68. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $27.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.29. Smith & Nephew has a 52-week low of $23.69 and a 52-week high of $31.72.

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. This represents a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Smith & Nephew's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. Smith & Nephew's dividend payout ratio is 41.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Smith & Nephew

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Smith & Nephew by 229.8% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 75,215 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,849,000 after acquiring an additional 52,411 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 19.0% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 17,557 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $432,000 after purchasing an additional 2,798 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC purchased a new stake in Smith & Nephew during the 4th quarter worth $431,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,871 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 1,213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new position in Smith & Nephew in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,847,000. 25.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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