GPM Growth Investors Inc. Reduces Position in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK)

GPM Growth Investors Inc. lowered its stake in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,917 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after selling 213 shares during the period. Stryker accounts for 3.1% of GPM Growth Investors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. GPM Growth Investors Inc.’s holdings in Stryker were worth $6,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SYK. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA boosted its holdings in shares of Stryker by 203.3% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 91 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. HBC Financial Services PLLC purchased a new stake in Stryker in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Stryker during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Operose Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Stryker by 308.6% during the 3rd quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 143 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stryker by 97.1% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 136 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. 77.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SYK shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stryker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Stryker from $340.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Stryker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Stryker from $362.00 to $406.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Stryker from $365.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Stryker news, Director Allan C. Golston sold 3,273 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $341.00, for a total transaction of $1,116,093.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,856,522. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Stryker news, Director Allan C. Golston sold 3,273 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $341.00, for a total value of $1,116,093.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,856,522. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO William E. Berry, Jr. sold 7,690 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.48, for a total value of $2,756,711.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,317,414. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 212,109 shares of company stock valued at $72,845,768. 5.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Stryker Trading Down 0.4 %

Stryker stock traded down $1.45 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $337.42. 959,727 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,281,840. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.09, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $348.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $316.14. Stryker Co. has a fifty-two week low of $249.98 and a fifty-two week high of $361.41.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The medical technology company reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.19. Stryker had a net margin of 15.44% and a return on equity of 22.99%. The business had revenue of $5.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.00 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Stryker Co. will post 11.86 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.79%.

Stryker Company 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.