SYK STRYKER CORP

Price Chart

Executive Summary

Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Stryker Corp (SYK) with an Outperform rating and a $410 price target, implying 31% upside from the current $312.20 close. The firm's 49% accuracy on 257 calls and average return of 4.3% place it near the middle of the analyst pack. Consensus is heavily bullish: 27 of 35 analysts rate SYK a Buy or Strong Buy, 8 Hold, and 0 Sell. The mean price target is $389.93, with a high of $465 and a low of $315. Leerink's $410 target sits above the mean and median, reflecting above-consensus conviction. EPS revisions over the past 30 days are roughly flat — 2 up, 1 down for the current fiscal year — suggesting no major fundamental catalyst. Insider selling is notable: Ronda Stryker sold $6.8M in late May, and two other insiders sold over $1.5M combined. Institutional flows show mixed signals — one large add but several trims and exits. Short interest is elevated at 65.9% of float, indicating bearish positioning. The initiation from a mid-tier firm adds a modest bullish signal, but the insider selling and high short interest warrant caution.

Impact Score

Consensus & Targets

Consensus is heavily bullish: 13 Strong Buy, 14 Buy, 8 Hold, 0 Sell, 0 Strong Sell across 35 analysts. The direction is firmly positive, with 77% of analysts at Buy or Strong Buy. Leerink's Outperform aligns with the bullish consensus.

Current price: $312.20. Mean target: $389.93 (implied upside 24.9%). Median: $391.53. High: $465. Low: $315. Leerink's $410 target is above the mean and median, placing it in the upper quartile of analyst targets and signaling above-consensus conviction.

Recent Analyst Activity

30-day analyst activity shows 0 upgrades and 0 downgrades. EPS revision trends are mixed: for the current quarter, 1 revision up and 1 down over 30 days; for the next quarter, 1 up and 2 down. For the current fiscal year, 2 up and 1 down. Estimates are essentially flat, with no clear directional bias.

Firm Track Record — Leerink Partners

Leerink Partners accuracy: 49% on 257 calls | avg return: 4.3%

Industry benchmark: mean 51% ± 11%. Top tier: ≥61% (mean + 1σ). Based on 15 firms with ≥5 scored calls.

Leerink Partners has a 49% accuracy rate on 257 calls with an average return of 4.3%, placing it near the middle of the 15 firms tracked. Top-tier firms covering SYK include Piper Sandler (100% on 3 calls, 4.8% avg return) and UBS (100% on 3 calls, 6.2% avg return). Bottom-tier firms include Wells Fargo (50% on 6 calls, -0.4% avg return) and Goldman Sachs (50% on 2 calls, 1.0% avg return).

Earnings Estimates

Next earnings: Jul 29, 2026

Cross-Platform Signals

Insider selling is notable: Ronda Stryker sold $6.8M on May 26, and two other insiders sold over $1.5M combined in May. These are large, non-10b5-1 sales from a major shareholder and C-suite, which is a bearish signal. Congressional activity shows a buy from Rep. Ro Khanna ($15k-$50k) on the initiation date — a small bullish signal. Institutional changes are mixed: Horizon Investments added 28.3% ($6.2B position), but RTW Investments trimmed 59.2% ($32.9M) and Artemis exited entirely. Short interest is 65.9% of float, extremely elevated and bearish. The insider selling and high short interest diverge from the bullish analyst initiation.

Documents Analyzed

Report based on filing metadata.

US Market Status