United Community Bank Increases Stock Position in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

United Community Bank increased its holdings in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 904 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. United Community Bank’s holdings in Stryker were worth $325,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stryker during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stryker by 94.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 76 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Stryker in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in shares of Stryker in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Stryker during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 77.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,642,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 is available through this link. 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 transaction of $941,586.06. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,895 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,705,827.65. This trade represents a 14.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Stryker Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE SYK opened at $379.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $144.73 billion, a PE ratio of 48.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.95. Stryker Co. has a 1-year low of $314.93 and a 1-year high of $406.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $382.45 and a 200-day moving average of $372.99. 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 (NYSE:SYK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the company earned $3.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Stryker Co. will post 13.47 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on SYK. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Stryker from $418.00 to $443.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Stryker from $420.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com lowered Stryker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Stryker from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $442.00 price objective on shares of Stryker in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $422.15.

About Stryker

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.