Valmark Advisers Inc. Trims Holdings in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

Valmark Advisers Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 14.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,347 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after selling 391 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Stryker were worth $845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of SYK. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Stryker by 94.9% during the third 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 period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Stryker during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Stryker during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Stryker during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stryker during the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SYK shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $442.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Stryker from $420.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on Stryker from $420.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Stryker in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, BTIG Research upped their target price on shares of Stryker from $383.00 to $394.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Stryker currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $420.68.

Stryker Price Performance

NYSE SYK opened at $385.05 on Tuesday. Stryker Co. has a one year low of $314.93 and a one year high of $406.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $377.31 and a 200 day moving average of $367.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.95. The company has a market capitalization of $146.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.62, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.96.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 last year, the firm earned $3.46 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Stryker Co. will post 13.49 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Stryker

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

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.