Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) Earns “Hold” Rating from Canaccord Genuity Group

Canaccord Genuity Group reissued their hold rating on shares of Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) in a research note published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $27.00 price target on the medical equipment provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on SNN. UBS Group downgraded shares of Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Smith & Nephew currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.00.

Smith & Nephew Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE SNN opened at $28.37 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $26.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $12.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.13, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.83. Smith & Nephew has a 1-year low of $23.65 and a 1-year high of $31.72.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Smith & Nephew

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SNN. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Smith & Nephew by 87.6% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,480 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Smith & Nephew in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake 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 valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,957 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Smith & Nephew by 31.8% during the fourth 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 25.64% of the company’s stock.

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.