Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 59.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 125,789 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 47,116 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $3,092,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SNN. Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 1,363,039 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $33,504,000 after purchasing an additional 138,994 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 64.0% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,032,016 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $49,947,000 after buying an additional 792,829 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Smith & Nephew during the fourth quarter worth $4,992,000. Finally, Clark Estates Inc. NY raised its position in Smith & Nephew by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Clark Estates Inc. NY now owns 800,000 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $19,664,000 after acquiring an additional 115,000 shares in the last quarter. 25.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Smith & Nephew Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SNN traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $28.42. 890,425 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 791,658. Smith & Nephew plc has a twelve month low of $23.65 and a twelve month high of $31.72. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $26.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.00. The stock has a market cap of $12.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.16, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.83.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.447 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a boost 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 41.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group lowered shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Smith & Nephew 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.