Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Increases Stake in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its holdings in shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 475,558 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 50,386 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Stryker were worth $184,721,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Stryker during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Stryker by 94.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Stryker during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in Stryker in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Stryker during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 77.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stryker Price Performance

Stryker stock opened at $379.28 on Friday. Stryker Co. has a 52-week low of $314.93 and a 52-week high of $406.19. The company has a market cap of $144.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.88, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $382.45 and its 200 day moving average is $372.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Stryker Co. will post 13.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stryker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.30%.

Insider Activity at Stryker

In other news, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,392 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.24, for a total value of $78,993,998.08. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,642,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,428,567,498. This represents a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Allan C. Golston sold 2,458 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $383.07, for a total transaction of $941,586.06. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,705,827.65. This trade represents a 14.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Stryker from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $370.00 to $445.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Stryker in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Stryker from $420.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Argus set a $450.00 price objective on Stryker in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Stryker from $384.00 to $427.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $422.15.

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.