Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) Stock Position Trimmed by Monarch Capital Management Inc.

Monarch Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,989 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after selling 297 shares during the period. Stryker makes up approximately 1.6% of Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Stryker were worth $5,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Planning LLC boosted its position in Stryker by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Planning LLC now owns 841 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Stryker by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,997 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $719,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC grew its position in Stryker by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 2,948 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $1,065,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. increased its stake in Stryker by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 2,194 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $793,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Grimes & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Stryker by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 8,239 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $2,977,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.09% of the company’s stock.

Stryker Price Performance

Shares of SYK stock opened at $383.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $375.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $358.81. Stryker Co. has a one year low of $307.23 and a one year high of $398.20. The firm has a market cap of $146.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.95.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The medical technology company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.10. Stryker had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 16.34%. The firm had revenue of $5.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.46 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Stryker Co. will post 12.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stryker Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Stryker’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SYK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Stryker from $405.00 to $427.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Stryker from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $370.00 to $445.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Barclays upped their price objective on Stryker from $402.00 to $418.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Stryker from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Stryker from $411.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $405.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kevin Lobo sold 57,313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.70, for a total value of $21,131,303.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 100,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,879,954.90. The trade was a 36.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.50% 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.