Syon Capital LLC Grows Holdings in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

Syon Capital LLC grew its holdings in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 89.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 20,250 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 9,534 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC's holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $498,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Smith & Nephew by 87.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,480 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 691 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Smith & Nephew during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,667 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 391.4% during the 4th quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 2,457 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,975 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 25.64% of the company's stock.

Smith & Nephew Trading Up 4.2 %

Shares of Smith & Nephew stock traded up $1.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $28.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 826,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 819,397. The business has a fifty day moving average of $27.57 and a 200 day moving average of $26.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Smith & Nephew plc has a 1-year low of $23.69 and a 1-year high of $31.72. The company has a market capitalization of $12.28 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.71.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The business 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 boost from Smith & Nephew's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. Smith & Nephew's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on SNN. StockNews.com raised shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Smith & Nephew from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Smith & Nephew in a report on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group downgraded Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, HSBC cut Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $27.00.

Smith & Nephew 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.