Boston Partners Boosts Holdings in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,682 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 10,398 shares during the period. Boston Partners' holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $2,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SNN. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Smith & Nephew by 29.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,199 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $847,000 after acquiring an additional 6,164 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Smith & Nephew during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,258,000. Maverick Capital Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Smith & Nephew during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,086,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,871 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake 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. 25.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Smith & Nephew Price Performance

NYSE:SNN traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $28.42. 890,425 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 824,201. The company has a market cap of $12.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.83. Smith & Nephew plc has a 1 year low of $23.65 and a 1 year high of $31.72. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $26.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

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Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Smith & Nephew in a research report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group cut Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Smith & Nephew presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.