Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) Cut to “Neutral” at UBS Group

UBS Group cut shares of Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Smith & Nephew in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Smith & Nephew has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.00.

Smith & Nephew Price Performance

SNN stock opened at $28.59 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 2.51. Smith & Nephew has a 52 week low of $23.65 and a 52 week high of $31.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $26.35 and its 200 day moving average is $27.18. The firm has a market cap of $12.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.83.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.447 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Smith & Nephew’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. Smith & Nephew’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Smith & Nephew

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SNN. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 691 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Smith & Nephew in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position 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 worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 391.4% in the 4th quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 2,457 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 31.8% in the 4th 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 25.64% of the company’s stock.

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.