Business Context and Reporting Period
This Form 6-K filing by Smith & Nephew plc dated July 3, 2024, serves as a notification of major holdings pursuant to UK Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules (DTR). The filing reports a change in shareholding by Norges Bank, the central bank of Norway, which crossed a notifiable voting rights threshold on June 28, 2024.
Key Financial Metrics
This filing is a regulatory notification of ownership changes and does not contain financial performance data such as revenue, profit, cash flow, margins, debt, or liquidity metrics. The document focuses exclusively on voting rights and share positions.
Material Changes
The material change reported is the acquisition of voting rights by Norges Bank, resulting in the following position as of June 28, 2024:
- Total Voting Rights Held: 26,702,686 shares.
- Total Percentage of Voting Rights: 3.054%.
- Breakdown:
- Direct Shareholdings: 26,490,484 shares (3.029740%).
- Financial Instruments (Shares on Loan): 212,202 voting rights (0.024260%).
Guidance, Outlook, and Risks
The filing contains no management commentary, financial guidance, outlook, or discussion of risks and contingencies. It is a standard statutory disclosure confirming that Norges Bank is not controlled by any natural person or legal entity and does not control other undertakings holding an interest in the issuer.
Key Facts for Investor Verification
- Shareholder Identity: Norges Bank (Oslo, Norway) is the entity subject to the notification.
- Threshold Crossed: The total holding reached 3.054% of voting rights.
- Instrument Type: The position includes direct share ownership and shares on loan (right to recall).
- Notification Date: The issuer was notified on July 2, 2024, and the filing was completed on July 3, 2024.
- Financial Data: No financial results are provided in this document; investors should refer to the company's Form 20-F or interim reports for financial performance.