Stryker (NYSE:SYK) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Stryker (NYSE:SYK) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on SYK. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Stryker from $425.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $442.00 price target on shares of Stryker in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays increased their price target on Stryker from $418.00 to $443.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Argus set a $450.00 price target on Stryker in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Stryker from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $422.15.

Stryker Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Stryker stock opened at $379.28 on Thursday. Stryker has a 1 year low of $314.93 and a 1 year high of $406.19. The firm has a market cap of $144.73 billion, a PE ratio of 48.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $382.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $372.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.32.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.87 by $0.14. Stryker had a return on equity of 23.58% and a net margin of 13.25%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Stryker will post 13.47 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Stryker’s payout ratio is currently 43.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stryker

In other Stryker news, Director Allan C. Golston sold 2,458 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $383.07, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 14.16 % decrease in their position. 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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were 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 directly owns 3,642,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,428,567,498. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stryker

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stryker during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stryker during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Stryker by 94.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 76 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Stryker by 618.2% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 79 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stryker during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 77.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.