STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Purchased by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 369,698 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,424 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.37% of STERIS worth $75,995,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in STERIS by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $556,786,000 after purchasing an additional 17,007 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,119,643 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $230,160,000 after buying an additional 5,419 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in STERIS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $223,987,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 171.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $191,370,000 after acquiring an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in STERIS by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 569,837 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $117,136,000 after acquiring an additional 18,384 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:STE opened at $223.03 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13. The company has a market capitalization of $21.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.35 and a beta of 0.92. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $221.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $221.73.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on STE shares. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

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.