Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. Buys 22,496 Shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. raised its position in shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK - Free Report) by 48.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,672 shares of the medical technology company's stock after buying an additional 22,496 shares during the period. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.'s holdings in Stryker were worth $24,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SYK. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Stryker in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Stryker by 618.2% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 79 shares of the medical technology company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stryker in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of Stryker in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Stryker in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on SYK shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Stryker from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Stryker from $425.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Stryker from $418.00 to $443.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Argus set a $450.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Stryker from $420.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stryker presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $423.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Allan C. Golston sold 2,458 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $383.07, for a total transaction of $941,586.06. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,392 shares of the business'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 transaction, the director now owns 3,642,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,428,567,498. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.90% of the company's stock.

Stryker Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE SYK traded down $0.21 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $346.46. 1,349,873 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,362,954. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.95. The business's fifty day moving average price is $371.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $373.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $132.24 billion, a PE ratio of 44.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.93. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $3.46 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Stryker Co. will post 13.47 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

The business 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Stryker's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.30%.

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.