Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seventeen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $413.45.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SYK. StockNews.com lowered shares of Stryker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Stryker from $411.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Stryker in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Stryker from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Stryker from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $370.00 to $445.00 in a report on Monday, December 2nd.

Stryker Price Performance

SYK stock opened at $390.98 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $149.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.91, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $376.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $361.98. Stryker has a 12-month low of $314.05 and a 12-month high of $406.19.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 23.07% and a net margin of 16.34%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.46 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Stryker will post 12.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Stryker Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Stryker’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.01%.

Insider Activity at Stryker

In other Stryker news, CEO Kevin Lobo sold 57,313 shares of Stryker stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.70, for a total value of $21,131,303.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 100,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,879,954.90. The trade was a 36.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 5.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stryker

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of SYK. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in 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 during the last quarter. Centennial Bank AR increased its holdings in Stryker by 106.7% in the 2nd quarter. Centennial Bank AR now owns 93 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Stryker in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Stryker during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Stryker during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.09% of the company’s stock.

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.