Why women need mid-career mentors

You probably have a mental picture of the usual mentor-mentee relationship: a college-aged ingenue sitting at lunch with an industry veteran.

But for some women, that picture isn't accurate. For an older woman looking for mentorship through a career transition, creative stagnation or the second half of her career, there are increasingly few places to turn: there's no alumni network or old boys' club to step in and help.

That's a problem for both women and employers since sponsorship and mentorship can be key to retaining female talent.

Where can women turn if they're looking for guidance at later stages of their career?

Part of it is subverting our ideas of what mentorship looks like, says Nilanjana Dasgupta, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts.

"Mentoring doesn't always happen in a hierarchical way," she says. "Often, mentoring happens in bidirectional ways, and you learn different things from different people."

Particularly for senior women, finding mentors who look like them can be a challenge. For women of color, they feel a dual pressure of wanting to advance in their own careers even as they spend significant time shepherding younger people of color through the ranks, says Laura Sherbin, co-president at the Center for Talent Innovation.

"Everybody looks above them in the company and thinks 'The people who made it there, they figured things out,'" she says. "What's really hard to see when you look at somebody more senior than you �� this is even true for the CEOs �� they're still proving themselves. They're still proving they're not a diversity hire. They're still proving they got the goods. This need to prove yourself never actually goes away."

Mutual mentoring or peer networks are another good source of inspiration for women in leadership. Some programs even pair executive mentees with junior mentors, where the younger employee shares different skills or experiences with the senior worker.

When Boston architect Emily Papparelle first joined a mid-career women's mentoring group, she says she felt "a little embarrassed" to be applying for a mentor nearly 10 years into her career. But after she met her mentor and connected with the other women in the group, her perspective changed entirely.

"I had gotten 10 years into my career and never really had a mentor, let alone a female mentor," she says. "I learned we do still need mentors 10 years into careers. It's not too late. You have been in the same place for 10 years and you start to not really know your place. And someone else says 'No, I have seen your portfolio. I have gotten to know you. You are very valuable, here is your potential.'"

Zimmer Biomet (ZBH) Downgraded by Zacks Investment Research to “Sell”

Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Monday morning.

According to Zacks, “In the past three months, Zimmer Biomet has been observed to underperform its industry. The year-over-year decline in earnings and revenues in the last reported quarter made investors jittery.  Declining sales at Knees, Hips and other segments at CER were a major disappointment. According to the company, slower pace of supply recovery and sales recapture related to major brands within the company’s Knee, Hip and S.E.T. segments marred the quarterly performance. Also, escalating costs and expenses impacted margins.  On the bright side, the company’s consistent efforts in product and renovation through research and development raise hopes. We are optimistic about synergies from the LDR buyout as well. We are also impressed by the strategic and financial goals which the combined entity expects to reach.”

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A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. ValuEngine cut Zimmer Biomet from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, March 23rd. Robert W. Baird cut Zimmer Biomet from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, March 23rd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Zimmer Biomet in a research note on Monday, April 2nd. They issued an in-line rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Zimmer Biomet from $148.00 to $140.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 27th. Finally, Raymond James initiated coverage on Zimmer Biomet in a research note on Thursday, March 15th. They issued an outperform rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $135.82.

Shares of Zimmer Biomet opened at $111.82 on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Zimmer Biomet has a 52 week low of $104.28 and a 52 week high of $133.49. The company has a market capitalization of $22.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.13.

Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 26th. The medical equipment provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.02. Zimmer Biomet had a return on equity of 14.36% and a net margin of 21.81%. The firm had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. research analysts predict that Zimmer Biomet will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, June 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. Zimmer Biomet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.96%.

In related news, insider Katarzyna Mazur-Hofsaess sold 8,765 shares of Zimmer Biomet stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.61, for a total transaction of $995,791.65. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 25,447 shares in the company, valued at $2,891,033.67. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Tony W. Collins sold 1,330 shares of Zimmer Biomet stock in a transaction on Monday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.73, for a total value of $155,250.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ZBH. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. bought a new stake in Zimmer Biomet during the first quarter worth $111,000. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Zimmer Biomet by 8,836.9% during the first quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 127,887 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 126,456 shares during the period. Massey Quick Simon & CO. LLC lifted its holdings in Zimmer Biomet by 100.0% during the first quarter. Massey Quick Simon & CO. LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $131,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. We Are One Seven LLC bought a new stake in Zimmer Biomet during the fourth quarter worth $137,000. Finally, Adviser Investments LLC bought a new stake in Zimmer Biomet during the first quarter worth $144,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.38% of the company’s stock.

Zimmer Biomet Company Profile

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets musculoskeletal healthcare products and solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through four segments: Spine, less Asia Pacific; Office Based Technologies; Craniomaxillofacial and Thoracic; and Dental.

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