Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $426.4706.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SYK shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stryker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. William Blair began coverage on shares of Stryker in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $469.00 price objective on shares of Stryker in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Stryker from $450.00 to $465.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th.

Insider Activity at Stryker

In related news, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 250,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $362.92, for a total value of $90,730,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,457,331 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $891,814,566.52. This trade represents a 9.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stryker

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kovack Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Stryker by 3.6% in the second quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 771 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its position in Stryker by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 247 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Stryker by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,904 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $704,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stryker by 3.9% during the third quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 745 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in Stryker by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. 77.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stryker Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE SYK opened at $386.04 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.96, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.87. Stryker has a 1-year low of $329.16 and a 1-year high of $404.87. The business’s 50 day moving average is $362.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $369.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The medical technology company reported $4.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.40 by $0.07. Stryker had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 12.92%.The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.01 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Stryker will post 13.47 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Stryker’s payout ratio is currently 41.90%.

About Stryker

Stryker Corporation is a global medical technology company that designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of products and services for use in hospitals, surgeons’ offices and other healthcare facilities. Its primary business activities span orthopedics (including joint replacement implants, trauma and extremities products), surgical equipment and operating room technologies (such as visualization, navigation and powered instruments), neurotechnology and spine solutions, and patient-handling and emergency medical equipment.