Trust Co. of Vermont Increases Stake in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

Trust Co. of Vermont grew its position in shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,699 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,887 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Stryker were worth $11,413,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in Stryker by 94.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 76 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Centennial Bank AR raised its stake in shares of Stryker by 106.7% during the 2nd quarter. Centennial Bank AR now owns 93 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stryker during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. HBW Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Stryker in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Stryker in the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. 77.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stryker Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of SYK traded up $2.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $383.91. The company had a trading volume of 1,727,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,070,245. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $375.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $358.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.91. Stryker Co. has a 1 year low of $307.23 and a 1 year high of $398.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.95.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The medical technology company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $5.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.37 billion. Stryker had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Stryker Co. will post 12.06 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. This is a boost from Stryker’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Stryker in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays boosted their price target on Stryker from $402.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Stryker from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Stryker from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $405.80.

Insider Transactions at Stryker

In related news, CEO Kevin Lobo sold 57,313 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.70, for a total value of $21,131,303.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 100,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,879,954.90. This represents a 36.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.50% of the company’s stock.

About Stryker

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.