Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Has $14.84 Million Stock Holdings in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd reduced its position in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 18.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 41,069 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after selling 9,179 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Stryker were worth $14,841,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in Stryker by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 89,948 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $30,605,000 after buying an additional 2,220 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stryker during the second quarter worth approximately $19,301,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Stryker by 11.3% in the second quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,047 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA lifted its holdings in Stryker by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA now owns 27,822 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $10,051,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Stryker by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 34,200 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $12,355,000 after purchasing an additional 4,281 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.09% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kevin Lobo sold 57,313 shares of Stryker stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.70, for a total transaction of $21,131,303.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 100,027 shares in the company, valued at $36,879,954.90. This trade represents a 36.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.90% of the company’s stock.

Stryker Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SYK opened at $390.48 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $376.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $362.18. Stryker Co. has a 52-week low of $314.93 and a 52-week high of $406.19. The company has a market cap of $148.86 billion, a PE ratio of 50.32, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.95.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.87 by $0.14. Stryker had a return on equity of 23.86% and a net margin of 13.25%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Stryker Co. will post 13.53 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. This is an increase from Stryker’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Stryker’s payout ratio is currently 43.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on SYK. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Stryker from $384.00 to $427.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Stryker from $366.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Stryker from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Stryker from $380.00 to $384.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $442.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a research report on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $416.40.

About Stryker

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.