Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) Shares Acquired by Empower Advisory Group LLC

Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 52.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,991 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after buying an additional 684 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Stryker were worth $717,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in Stryker by 94.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 76 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Stryker in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in Stryker in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Stryker in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in Stryker in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. 77.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.24, for a total transaction of $78,993,998.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,642,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,428,567,498. This represents a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 5.90% of the company’s stock.

Stryker Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of SYK stock opened at $385.44 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $377.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $367.56. Stryker Co. has a twelve month low of $314.93 and a twelve month high of $406.19. The company has a market capitalization of $146.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.67, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.87 by $0.14. Stryker had a net margin of 13.25% and a return on equity of 23.58%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.46 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Stryker Co. will post 13.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Stryker’s payout ratio is 43.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SYK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $442.00 price objective on shares of Stryker in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Stryker from $418.00 to $443.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Stryker from $380.00 to $384.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Stryker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Stryker from $384.00 to $427.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $420.68.

Stryker 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.