Smith & Nephew shares surge as Cevian takes stake in medical devices group

Investing.com — Shares in medical devices manufacturer Smith & Nephew (LON:) jumped on Thursday after activist investor Cevian Capital disclosed a stake in the group.

A filing showed that Stockholm-based Cevian had built a 5% interest in Smith & Nephew, the maker of orthopaedic implants and prosthetics which has lost over half of its stock value since touching a record high in 2020.

Changes to procurement practices in China, as well as a string of executive-level changes, have dented sentiment around Smith & Nephew. Revenue of $1.39 billion in the 100-listed company’s fiscal first quarter missed estimates.

Citing a statement from a partner at Cevian, Reuters reported that the investor sees the potential to create “long-term value” in Smith & Nephew by improving its operating performance.

Cevian has also taken stakes in a range of businesses, including Swiss bank UBS, Irish building materials firm CRH (NYSE:), and education publisher Pearson.