BLB&B Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

BLB&B Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 3.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,564 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after buying an additional 1,245 shares during the period. BLB&B Advisors LLC’s holdings in Stryker were worth $13,932,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SYK. West Paces Advisors Inc. grew its position in Stryker by 13.7% during the first quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 348 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Stryker by 979.5% in the first quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 1,263 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $452,000 after buying an additional 1,146 shares in the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stryker during the 1st quarter worth approximately $239,000. S.A. Mason LLC lifted its position in shares of Stryker by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 2,955 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $1,058,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its stake in Stryker by 41.4% in the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,049 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $375,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.09% of the company’s stock.

Stryker Stock Performance

Shares of SYK opened at $366.20 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $357.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $343.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.68. Stryker Co. has a 1 year low of $255.22 and a 1 year high of $374.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $139.50 billion, a PE ratio of 41.80, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.91.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The medical technology company reported $2.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.79 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.40 billion. Stryker had a net margin of 16.12% and a return on equity of 22.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.54 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Stryker Co. will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stryker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.53%.

Insider Transactions at Stryker

In other Stryker news, VP M Kathryn Fink sold 2,121 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $370.00, for a total value of $784,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,715,540. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Glenn S. Boehnlein sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.00, for a total transaction of $6,660,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 2,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $949,716. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP M Kathryn Fink sold 2,121 shares of Stryker stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $370.00, for a total transaction of $784,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,715,540. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 220,068 shares of company stock worth $71,811,372. Company insiders own 5.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SYK shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $386.00 price objective on shares of Stryker in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Stryker from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Stryker from $375.00 to $365.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Stryker from $374.00 to $402.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stryker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $381.16.

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.