Steph & Co. Sells 64 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Steph & Co. cut its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 925 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 64 shares during the quarter. Steph & Co.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in STERIS by 154.7% in the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 54.8% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 291 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. Piper Sandler raised shares of STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.50.

STERIS Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE STE opened at $206.66 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $212.34 and a 200-day moving average of $224.89. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $197.82 and a 1-year high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $20.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.18 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is 52.05%.

STERIS Profile

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, Life Sciences, and Dental. The Healthcare segment offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products; automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products; endoscopy accessories, washers, sterilizers, and other pieces of capital equipment for the operation of a sterile processing department; and equipment used directly in the operating room, including surgical tables, lights, and connectivity solutions, as well as equipment management services.