Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) Shares Acquired by National Pension Service

National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,726,075 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after buying an additional 48,043 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Medtronic were worth $217,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Medtronic during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Medtronic during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Medtronic in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. J. Stern & Co. LLP purchased a new position in shares of Medtronic during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC raised its holdings in shares of Medtronic by 145.7% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 344 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. 82.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Medtronic Stock Performance

NYSE MDT opened at $90.57 on Wednesday. Medtronic plc has a fifty-two week low of $75.96 and a fifty-two week high of $93.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $86.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.90.

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

Medtronic Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. Medtronic’s payout ratio is presently 85.11%.

Insider Activity at Medtronic

In other Medtronic news, EVP Brett A. Wall sold 12,437 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $1,119,330.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 40,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,688,110. This represents a 23.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Medtronic from $99.00 to $96.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays lifted their price target on Medtronic from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Medtronic from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Medtronic in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Medtronic from $96.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $95.00.

Medtronic 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.