Natixis Sells 38,600 Shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

Natixis trimmed its stake in shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK - Free Report) by 57.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,156 shares of the medical technology company's stock after selling 38,600 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in Stryker were worth $10,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Stryker during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Stryker by 618.2% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 79 shares of the medical technology company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Stryker during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in Stryker during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in Stryker during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 77.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SYK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Stryker from $420.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $422.00 price target on shares of Stryker in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Stryker from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Stryker from $427.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $442.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a report on Friday, March 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $423.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,392 shares of Stryker stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.24, for a total transaction of $78,993,998.08. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,642,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,428,567,498. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Allan C. Golston sold 2,458 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $383.07, for a total value of $941,586.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,895 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,705,827.65. This represents a 14.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Stryker Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of SYK traded up $3.83 on Thursday, reaching $360.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,349,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,356,479. The stock has a market capitalization of $137.77 billion, a PE ratio of 46.51, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Stryker Co. has a twelve month low of $314.93 and a twelve month high of $406.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $368.69 and a 200-day moving average of $372.95.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by $0.14. Stryker had a return on equity of 23.58% and a net margin of 13.25%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.46 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Stryker Co. will post 13.47 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Stryker's payout ratio is currently 43.30%.

Stryker Profile

Stryker Corporation operates as a medical technology company. The company operates through two segments, MedSurg and Neurotechnology, and Orthopaedics and Spine. The Orthopaedics and Spine segment provides implants for use in total joint replacements, such as hip, knee and shoulder, and trauma and extremities surgeries.