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

Valmark Advisers Inc. trimmed its holdings in Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) by 14.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Stryker by 94.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 76 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Stryker in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in Stryker in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Stryker in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stryker in the third quarter worth $42,000. 77.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stryker Stock Performance

Stryker stock opened at $385.05 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.32. Stryker Co. has a 1-year low of $314.93 and a 1-year high of $406.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s 50-day moving average is $377.31 and its 200 day moving average is $367.19.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The medical technology company reported $4.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.87 by $0.14. Stryker had a return on equity of 23.58% and a net margin of 13.25%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.46 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Stryker Co. will post 13.49 EPS for the current year.

Stryker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. Stryker’s payout ratio is 43.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on SYK shares. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Stryker from $420.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Stryker from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $442.00 target price on shares of Stryker in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Stryker in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Stryker from $427.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Stryker currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $420.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stryker

In other news, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 201,392 shares of Stryker stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.24, for a total transaction of $78,993,998.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,642,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,428,567,498. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 5.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Stryker

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.