STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Stake Boosted by Opal Wealth Advisors LLC

Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,118 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 171.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 7,418.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 309,771 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $75,132,000 after purchasing an additional 305,651 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 400.4% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,198,000 after purchasing an additional 179,829 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,251,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 2,123.2% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 113,672 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,574,000 after purchasing an additional 108,559 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

STERIS Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $224.16 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.59 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $212.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.46. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $197.82 and a 12-month high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. Equities analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is 48.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

About STERIS

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.