Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) Shares Acquired by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK - Free Report) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,643 shares of the medical technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,175 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Stryker were worth $3,112,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Stryker during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Stryker by 618.2% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 79 shares of the medical technology company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stryker during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of Stryker during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Stryker in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. 77.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,392 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.24, for a total value of $78,993,998.08. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,642,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,428,567,498. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Allan C. Golston sold 2,458 shares of Stryker stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $383.07, for a total value of $941,586.06. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,895 shares in the company, valued at $5,705,827.65. The trade was a 14.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SYK. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $442.00 price objective on shares of Stryker in a research note on Friday, March 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Stryker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Stryker from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $422.00 price objective on shares of Stryker in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Stryker from $420.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $423.53.

Stryker Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SYK traded down $0.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $346.46. The company had a trading volume of 1,349,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,362,954. Stryker Co. has a 12 month low of $314.93 and a 12 month high of $406.19. The stock has a market cap of $132.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.65, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $371.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $373.11.

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 (EPS) 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 in the previous year, the business earned $3.46 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Stryker Co. will post 13.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Stryker's payout ratio is currently 43.30%.

Stryker Company 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.