LPL Financial LLC Sells 10,735 Shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

LPL Financial LLC decreased its position in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN - Free Report) by 15.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,526 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 10,735 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $1,439,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 691 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Smith & Nephew during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Hara Capital LLC grew its position in Smith & Nephew by 391.4% during the fourth quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 2,457 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 1,957 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Smith & Nephew by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,975 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Smith & Nephew by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,871 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 1,213 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.64% of the company's stock.

Smith & Nephew Price Performance

NYSE SNN traded up $0.39 on Wednesday, hitting $26.55. 86,294 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 860,112. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $27.46 and a 200-day moving average of $26.38. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Smith & Nephew plc has a 52 week low of $23.69 and a 52 week high of $31.72. The stock has a market cap of $11.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29, 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 dividend of $0.447 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This is a boost from Smith & Nephew's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. This represents a yield of 2.5%. Smith & Nephew's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SNN. StockNews.com raised Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Smith & Nephew in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group cut Smith & Nephew from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Four investment 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 an average price target of $27.00.

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.