BlackRock Inc., 1 of the world’s largest hedge funds, boosted its stake in a clutch of medical device companies, with 1 exception.
The New York-based firm increased its position in St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ), Sirona Dental Systems (NSDQ:SIRO) and Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) by double-digit percentages, according to regulatory filings. With other companies, the stakes seem to be newly acquired as of the end of 2012.
BlackRock, which has more than $3.51 trillion in assets under its umbrella, raised its share in St. Jude by more than 26%, owning about 19.6 million shares. Next up was Sirona, with a share boost of 19.5%, followed by Boston Scientific, with a 13.5% increase.
Notable new positions include Becton Dickinson & Co. (NYSE:BDX), Covidien (NYSE:COV) and Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW). The lone exception to the buying spree was Varian Medical (NYSE:VAR); BlackRock pared its stake there by 1.1%, to roughly 5.5 million shares.
Here’s a look at the investments, with "n/a" denoting a new position:
| Company | Shares | Stake | % change |
| Becton Dickinson & Co. (NYSE:BDX) | 10.3 million | 5.2% | n/a |
| Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) | 84.0 million | 6.1% | 13.5% |
| C.R. Bard (NYSE:BCR) | 4.2 million | 5.2% | 5.2% |
| Covidien (NYSE:COV) | 23.7 million | 5.0% | n/a |
| DexCom Inc. (NSDQ:DXCM) | 3.6 million | 5.2% | 7.6% |
| Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) | 6.5 million | 5.6% | n/a |
| Endologix (NSDQ:ELGX) | 3.1 million | 5.1% | 8.7% |
| Grifols (NSDQ:GRFS) | 11.0 million | 5.2% | n/a |
| Hospira (NYSE:HSP) | 10.5 million | 6.4% | n/a |
| Mako Surgical (NSDQ:MAKO) | 2.5 million | 5.4% | n/a |
| Orthofix (NSDQ:OFIX) | 993,000 | 5.1% | n/a |
| Philips (NYSE:PHG) | 48.7 million | 5.1% | n/a |
| Sirona Dental Systems (NSDQ:SIRO) | 3.3 million | 6.0% | 19.5% |
| St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) | 19.6 million | 6.4% | 26.1% |
| Varian Medical (NYSE:VAR) | 5.5 million | 5.0% | -1.1% |
