Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $1.40 Million Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 34.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,827 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,757 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,705 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,869,000 after acquiring an additional 1,904 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 46.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 4,603 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,116,000 after acquiring an additional 1,456 shares in the last quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. now owns 26,106 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $5,851,000 after acquiring an additional 1,221 shares in the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,512 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $568,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 7,609 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,846,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE stock opened at $219.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $214.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.01. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $197.82 and a fifty-two week high of $248.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.54 billion, a PE ratio of 46.54 and a beta of 0.84.

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

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 48.41%.

STERIS Company 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.