Business Context and Reporting Period
This Form 6-K filing by Smith & Nephew plc is dated July 22, 2026. The document serves as a notification of major holdings pursuant to UK Disclosure and Transparency Rules (DTR), rather than a financial performance report. It details a change in shareholding by Bank of America Corporation.
Key Financial Metrics
The filing text does not provide revenue, profit, cash flow, margins, debt, or liquidity metrics. This document is strictly a regulatory notification regarding equity ownership and voting rights.
Material Changes
The material change reported is the acquisition or disposal of voting rights by Bank of America Corporation, resulting in a total position that crossed a notifiable threshold.
- Date Threshold Crossed: July 20, 2026
- Notified Date: July 21, 2026
- Total Voting Rights Held: 26,701,287
- Total Percentage of Voting Rights: 3.172736%
Breakdown of Holdings:
- Voting Rights Attached to Shares (Direct & Indirect): 20,216,881 shares (2.402237%)
- Voting Rights via Financial Instruments: 6,484,406 rights (0.770499%)
- Right to Recall: 450,000 (0.053471%)
- Swaps (Similar Economic Effect): 6,034,406 (0.717028%)
Guidance, Outlook, and Risks
The filing text does not contain management commentary, financial guidance, outlook, or specific risk factors related to the company's operations. The primary contingency noted is the existence of various swap agreements with expiration dates ranging from July 2026 to May 2030, which contribute to the reported voting rights.
Investor Verification Checklist
- Verify the total voting percentage (3.17%) against the company's total issued share capital to confirm the accuracy of the denominator used in the calculation.
- Review the specific terms of the swap agreements listed (Section 8.B2) to understand the settlement dates and potential impact on future voting control.
- Confirm if this 3.17% holding triggers any specific disclosure thresholds under UK or US regulations that were not previously met.
- Check subsequent filings to see if the position was adjusted after the July 20, 2026 threshold crossing date.