Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 26,991 Shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 23.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 87,089 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 26,991 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $2,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of SNN. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,120 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Smith & Nephew by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 17,704 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 15,772 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $388,000 after buying an additional 653 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,480 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 691 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. 25.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Smith & Nephew in a research note on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group downgraded Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.00.

Smith & Nephew Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of SNN traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $25.90. 691,095 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 836,294. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock's 50-day moving average is $27.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.46. Smith & Nephew plc has a 12 month low of $23.69 and a 12 month high of $31.72. The stock has a market cap of $11.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.71.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 is a positive change 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 yield of 2.5%. Smith & Nephew's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.20%.

About Smith & Nephew

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.