Argus Research Upgrades Stryker Coporation

In their Wednesday morning summary, Argus Research analysts upgraded shares of Stryker Corporation

from Hold to Buy and set a price target of $102. Looking at 2014, the Argus team is forecasting a stronger second half for Stryker. The team is basing this on the company's "solid" growth in businesses outside orthopedics, a better position to boost sales of knee implants following the MAKO acquisition, and a higher amunt of elective surgeries. The team also noted that the pending merger of Zimmer

and Biomet may create a possibility for Stryker to gain market due potential disruptions of the competitor's sales. Based on the items above, the analysts at Argus have raised their EPS estimates from $4.78 to $4.81 and $5.06 to $5.20 for 2014 and 2015, respectively.