Smith & Nephew plc (SNN) To Go Ex-Dividend on March 28th

Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) announced a semi-annual dividend on Wednesday, February 26th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a dividend of 0.447 per share by the medical equipment provider on Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This is a 55.2% increase from Smith & Nephew’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.29.

Smith & Nephew has a payout ratio of 42.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Smith & Nephew to earn $2.00 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.92 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 46.0%.

Smith & Nephew Stock Performance

Shares of Smith & Nephew stock opened at $28.44 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market cap of $12.43 billion, a PE ratio of 13.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $26.94 and a 200-day moving average of $27.00. Smith & Nephew has a 1-year low of $23.65 and a 1-year high of $31.72.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SNN. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Smith & Nephew in a report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com raised Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded Smith & Nephew from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.00.

Smith & Nephew Company Profile

Smith & Nephew plc engages in the development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of medical devices. It operates through the following segments: Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine and ENT, and Advanced Wound Management. The Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine and ENT segment consists of the following businesses: knee implants, hip implants, other reconstruction, trauma, sports medicine joint repair, arthroscopic enabling technologies, and ENT.