Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) Shares Purchased by Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 202,673 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the quarter. Medtronic makes up about 2.3% of Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Medtronic were worth $16,190,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MDT. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Medtronic during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Medtronic in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC grew its holdings in Medtronic by 145.7% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 344 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Medtronic by 753.8% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 333 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. Finally, J. Stern & Co. LLP acquired a new stake in Medtronic in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 82.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Medtronic news, EVP Brett A. Wall sold 12,437 shares of Medtronic stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $1,119,330.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 40,979 shares in the company, valued at $3,688,110. The trade was a 23.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Medtronic Stock Performance

Shares of Medtronic stock opened at $91.78 on Thursday. Medtronic plc has a one year low of $75.96 and a one year high of $96.25. The company has a market cap of $117.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.90, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.90. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $90.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.04.

Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The medical technology company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.03. Medtronic had a return on equity of 14.07% and a net margin of 12.83%. The firm had revenue of $8.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.33 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Medtronic plc will post 5.46 EPS for the current year.

Medtronic Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.05%. Medtronic’s payout ratio is 85.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MDT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective on Medtronic from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Medtronic in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup raised Medtronic from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $92.00 to $107.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Medtronic from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Medtronic from $96.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Medtronic currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.07.

Medtronic Company Profile

Medtronic plc develops, manufactures, and sells device-based medical therapies to healthcare systems, physicians, clinicians, and patients worldwide. Its Cardiovascular Portfolio segment offers implantable cardiac pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices; cardiac ablation products; insertable cardiac monitor systems; TYRX products; and remote monitoring and patient-centered software.