Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company.

SNN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Smith & Nephew in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Smith & Nephew from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Smith & Nephew

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Scharf Investments LLC increased its position in Smith & Nephew by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Scharf Investments LLC now owns 2,996,264 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $75,985,000 after buying an additional 15,930 shares in the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its holdings in Smith & Nephew by 20.5% in the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 1,373,051 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $34,002,000 after acquiring an additional 233,293 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Smith & Nephew by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,343,712 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $36,656,000 after acquiring an additional 44,445 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 355.8% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,235,916 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,059,000 after acquiring an additional 964,762 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in shares of Smith & Nephew by 20.9% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,003,050 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,363,000 after acquiring an additional 173,448 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.64% of the company’s stock.

Smith & Nephew Stock Performance

NYSE:SNN opened at $30.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Smith & Nephew has a fifty-two week low of $21.52 and a fifty-two week high of $31.72. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.16.

Smith & Nephew Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be issued a $0.288 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Smith & Nephew’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 4th.

About Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew plc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells medical devices and services in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through three segments: Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine & ENT, and Advanced Wound Management. The company offers knee implant products for knee replacement procedures; hip implants for revision procedures; trauma and extremities products that include internal and external devices used in the stabilization of severe fractures and deformity correction procedures; and other reconstruction products.