2,173 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Purchased by Whalen Wealth Management Inc.

Whalen Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,173 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $447,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 171.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $191,370,000 after buying an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in STERIS by 7,418.7% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 309,771 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $75,132,000 after purchasing an additional 305,651 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,251,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 2,123.2% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 9.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $270,230,000 after buying an additional 96,336 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $218.54 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $211.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.74. 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 $21.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.89 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.1 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were paid 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.