Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Increases Stock Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,925 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 683 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $6,151,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of STE. 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 valued at $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in shares of STERIS by 400.4% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $46,198,000 after buying an additional 179,829 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter valued at $28,251,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position 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 buying an additional 108,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in STERIS by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $270,230,000 after acquiring an additional 96,336 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of STE opened at $227.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $22.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.30 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $197.82 and a 1 year high of $248.24. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $215.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $222.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. On average, analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on STE shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.