Sei Investments Co. Grows Stock Position in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 229.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,215 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 52,411 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.'s holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $1,849,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group lowered Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Smith & Nephew in a report on Monday, March 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Smith & Nephew presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.00.

Smith & Nephew Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SNN traded down $0.83 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $25.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,366,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 832,530. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.59, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.71. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $27.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.64. Smith & Nephew plc has a 12-month low of $23.65 and a 12-month high of $31.72.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a $0.447 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Smith & Nephew's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. Smith & Nephew's payout ratio is currently 41.20%.

Smith & Nephew Company 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.