Stifel Financial Corp Raises Stock Position in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK - Free Report) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 610,336 shares of the medical technology company's stock after buying an additional 14,927 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned approximately 0.16% of Stryker worth $219,760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Chicago Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Stryker by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 195,052 shares of the medical technology company's stock worth $70,228,000 after purchasing an additional 5,841 shares during the last quarter. Zhang Financial LLC increased its position in Stryker by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 114,889 shares of the medical technology company's stock worth $41,366,000 after buying an additional 40,784 shares during the last quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA raised its stake in shares of Stryker by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA now owns 29,222 shares of the medical technology company's stock valued at $10,521,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Stryker by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 16,841 shares of the medical technology company's stock valued at $6,064,000 after buying an additional 1,561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of Stryker by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 182,825 shares of the medical technology company's stock worth $65,829,000 after acquiring an additional 976 shares during the period. 77.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Allan C. Golston sold 2,458 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $383.07, for a total transaction of $941,586.06. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,895 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,705,827.65. The trade was a 14.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,392 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.24, for a total value of $78,993,998.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,642,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,428,567,498. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Stryker Trading Up 1.2 %

SYK stock traded up $4.29 during trading on Friday, hitting $365.34. 1,462,555 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,355,868. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.95. Stryker Co. has a 1 year low of $314.93 and a 1 year high of $406.19. The company has a 50-day moving average of $367.81 and a 200-day moving average of $373.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $139.45 billion, a PE ratio of 47.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.93.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by $0.14. Stryker had a net margin of 13.25% and a return on equity of 23.58%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.46 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Stryker Co. will post 13.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Stryker's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $442.00 price objective on shares of Stryker in a report on Friday, March 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $422.00 price target on shares of Stryker in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Stryker from $420.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded Stryker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, BTIG Research set a $403.00 price target on Stryker and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $423.53.

Stryker Profile

Stryker Corporation operates as a medical technology company. The company operates through two segments, MedSurg and Neurotechnology, and Orthopaedics and Spine. The Orthopaedics and Spine segment provides implants for use in total joint replacements, such as hip, knee and shoulder, and trauma and extremities surgeries.