KBC Group NV Increases Position in Stryker Corporation $SYK

KBC Group NV increased its position in Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 345,700 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,354 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.09% of Stryker worth $121,503,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Stryker by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 90,755 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $31,898,000 after purchasing an additional 3,366 shares during the last quarter. Davis R M Inc. boosted its holdings in Stryker by 1.8% in the third quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 138,732 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $51,285,000 after purchasing an additional 2,512 shares during the last quarter. Terra Alpha Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Stryker during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,216,000. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA acquired a new stake in Stryker during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,952,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Stryker by 45.6% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 12,445 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $4,601,000 after buying an additional 3,899 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.09% of the company’s stock.

Stryker Price Performance

NYSE:SYK opened at $341.74 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Stryker Corporation has a 52 week low of $319.32 and a 52 week high of $404.87. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $353.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $359.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.88 billion, a PE ratio of 40.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.92.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The medical technology company reported $4.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.40 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.12 billion. Stryker had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 12.92%.Stryker’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.01 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Stryker Corporation will post 13.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stryker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Stryker’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SYK. UBS Group lowered their target price on Stryker from $400.00 to $380.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Stryker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Citizens Jmp raised Stryker from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $440.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $465.00 price objective on shares of Stryker in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Stryker from $448.00 to $454.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Stryker currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $421.11.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ronda E. Stryker sold 250,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $362.92, for a total transaction of $90,730,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,457,331 shares in the company, valued at $891,814,566.52. This trade represents a 9.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 4.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Stryker News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Stryker this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stryker agreed to acquire Amplitude Vascular Systems to add next‑generation IVL technology, expanding its peripheral vascular offerings and potentially accelerating addressable market growth in arterial disease — a strategic tuck‑in that investors generally view as growth‑accretive. Stryker to Acquire AVS (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed a Buy rating and set a $397 price target, signaling continued analyst confidence in Stryker’s growth and supporting upside expectations for the stock. BTIG Buy Reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Stryker with an outperform/recommendation, adding another supportive institutional view that may help underpin the stock over time. Leerink Initiates Coverage (MSN)
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate initiation notice was posted by AmericanBankingNews; initiation increases institutional coverage and liquidity but its immediate directional impact depends on the report’s stance and investor reaction. Leerink Initiates Coverage (AmericanBankingNews)
• Negative Sentiment: Truist lowered its price target from $395 to $380 and moved to a “hold” rating, reducing the implied upside and contributing to near‑term selling pressure as some investors mark positions to the lower PT. Truist Lowers Price Target (Benzinga)

Stryker Company Profile

Stryker Corporation is a global medical technology company that designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of products and services for use in hospitals, surgeons’ offices and other healthcare facilities. Its primary business activities span orthopedics (including joint replacement implants, trauma and extremities products), surgical equipment and operating room technologies (such as visualization, navigation and powered instruments), neurotechnology and spine solutions, and patient-handling and emergency medical equipment.