Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) Position Lessened by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its stake in shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 90,203 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after selling 1,060 shares during the quarter. Stryker comprises approximately 1.1% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Stryker were worth $27,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Magellan Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in Stryker by 74,911.8% during the 3rd quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 680,357 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $185,921,000 after acquiring an additional 679,450 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Stryker by 103.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,084,987 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $296,493,000 after purchasing an additional 551,798 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Stryker by 4.4% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,315,227 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $1,452,493,000 after purchasing an additional 223,728 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Stryker by 24.2% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,115,955 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $304,957,000 after purchasing an additional 217,672 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Stryker by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,547,683 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $422,099,000 after buying an additional 194,715 shares in the last quarter. 77.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stryker Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE SYK traded up $1.82 on Friday, hitting $328.45. 1,589,424 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,415,127. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $346.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $317.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Stryker Co. has a 52-week low of $249.98 and a 52-week high of $361.41. The company has a market capitalization of $125.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.91.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The medical technology company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.10 billion. Stryker had a return on equity of 23.05% and a net margin of 16.03%. Stryker’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.14 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Stryker Co. will post 11.94 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th were given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SYK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Stryker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price target on Stryker from $372.00 to $376.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Stryker in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Stryker from $367.00 to $378.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised Stryker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $360.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $365.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Stryker news, CAO William E. Berry, Jr. sold 7,690 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.48, for a total value of $2,756,711.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,317,414. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,146 shares of Stryker stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.90, for a total transaction of $68,972,963.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,755,128 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,287,633,391.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO William E. Berry, Jr. sold 7,690 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.48, for a total value of $2,756,711.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,317,414. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.