Bridgewater Associates LP Acquires 73,794 Shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 79.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 166,403 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 73,794 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP's holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $4,090,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 229.8% in the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 75,215 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,849,000 after buying an additional 52,411 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 29.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,199 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $847,000 after buying an additional 6,164 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of Smith & Nephew in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,258,000. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 17,557 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $432,000 after buying an additional 2,798 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,871 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 1,213 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.64% of the company's stock.

Smith & Nephew Stock Up 1.4 %

Smith & Nephew stock traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.53. The stock had a trading volume of 199,397 shares, compared to its average volume of 861,380. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $27.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.38. Smith & Nephew plc has a 1-year low of $23.69 and a 1-year high of $31.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.71. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a $0.447 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Smith & Nephew's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Smith & Nephew's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SNN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Smith & Nephew in a report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group lowered Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.