Bridgewater Associates LP Lowers Holdings in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

Bridgewater Associates LP cut its position in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK - Free Report) by 32.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,865 shares of the medical technology company's stock after selling 19,373 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP's holdings in Stryker were worth $14,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Stryker during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Stryker by 618.2% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 79 shares of the medical technology company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Stryker in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in Stryker during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stryker during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. 77.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on SYK shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $442.00 price target on shares of Stryker in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Stryker from $420.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Argus set a $450.00 target price on Stryker in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Stryker in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $423.53.

Stryker Price Performance

NYSE SYK traded down $0.21 on Friday, hitting $346.46. The stock had a trading volume of 1,349,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,359,832. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $370.95 and a 200-day moving average of $373.04. The company has a market capitalization of $132.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.95. Stryker Co. has a 52-week low of $314.93 and a 52-week high of $406.19.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by $0.14. Stryker had a net margin of 13.25% and a return on equity of 23.58%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Stryker Co. will post 13.47 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Stryker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.30%.

Insider Transactions at Stryker

In related news, Director Allan C. Golston sold 2,458 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,705,827.65. This trade represents a 14.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,392 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.24, for a total value of $78,993,998.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,642,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,428,567,498. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Stryker Profile

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.