STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC

Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC lowered its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,209 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 280 shares during the quarter. STERIS makes up approximately 1.2% of Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,071,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of STE. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at about $223,987,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its stake 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 worth $46,198,000 after acquiring an additional 179,829 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new position in STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,251,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in STERIS by 2,123.2% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 113,672 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $27,574,000 after acquiring an additional 108,559 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $221.57 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $221.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $221.60. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $197.82 and a fifty-two week high of $248.24. The firm has a market cap of $21.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.04 and a beta of 0.92.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released 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 net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. Sell-side analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 48.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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