Natixis Advisors LLC Has $3.09 Million Stake in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) by 59.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 125,789 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 47,116 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Smith & Nephew were worth $3,092,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SNN. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Smith & Nephew by 87.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,480 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Smith & Nephew in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hara Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 391.4% in 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 last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Smith & Nephew by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,975 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,871 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,213 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 25.64% of the company’s stock.

Smith & Nephew Stock Performance

NYSE SNN opened at $28.08 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $26.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.07. Smith & Nephew plc has a 52-week low of $23.65 and a 52-week high of $31.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.83.

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 represents a yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Smith & Nephew’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. Smith & Nephew’s payout ratio is currently 41.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Smith & Nephew in a report on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group lowered Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.00.

Smith & Nephew Profile

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.