Fiduciary Management Inc. WI Lowers Stock Holdings in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

Fiduciary Management Inc. WI trimmed its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,998,641 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 233,062 shares during the period. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI owned about 0.91% of Smith & Nephew worth $98,287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in 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. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,667 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 653 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Smith & Nephew by 87.6% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,480 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares in the last quarter. 25.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Smith & Nephew Price Performance

Smith & Nephew stock traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $26.80. 356,350 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 861,712. The company has a market capitalization of $11.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 2.51. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $27.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.38. Smith & Nephew plc has a 1 year low of $23.69 and a 1 year high of $31.72.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

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