Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) Increases Dividend to $0.45 Per Share

Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) announced a semi-annual dividend on Wednesday, February 26th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a dividend of 0.447 per share by the medical equipment provider on Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Smith & Nephew’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29.

Smith & Nephew has a payout ratio of 26.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Smith & Nephew to earn $2.00 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.58 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 29.0%.

Smith & Nephew Price Performance

Shares of Smith & Nephew stock traded up $0.05 on Thursday, reaching $28.97. 928,017 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 801,300. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 2.51. The firm has a market cap of $12.66 billion, a PE ratio of 13.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $25.19 and its 200-day moving average is $27.23. Smith & Nephew has a one year low of $23.65 and a one year high of $31.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on SNN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Smith & Nephew in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut shares of Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.00.

Smith & Nephew Company 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.