Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) Shares Sold by Henry James International Management Inc.

Henry James International Management Inc. cut its stake in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) by 17.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 156,500 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 33,186 shares during the period. Smith & Nephew comprises about 1.4% of Henry James International Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Henry James International Management Inc.’s holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $3,847,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. 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 worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Smith & Nephew in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hara Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Smith & Nephew by 391.4% during the 4th quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 2,457 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,975 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Smith & Nephew by 74.4% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,025 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,290 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 25.64% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SNN has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Smith & Nephew in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Berenberg Bank downgraded Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $27.00.

Smith & Nephew Price Performance

SNN stock opened at $28.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.24. Smith & Nephew plc has a 1 year low of $23.65 and a 1 year high of $31.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.447 per share. This is an increase from Smith & Nephew’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a yield of 2.5%. Smith & Nephew’s payout ratio is 25.00%.

About Smith & Nephew

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.