STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Purchased by Assetmark Inc.

Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 30.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,470 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,060 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in STERIS by 0.7% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,119,643 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $230,160,000 after acquiring an additional 5,419 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 171.2% during the third 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 last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 569,837 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $117,136,000 after acquiring an additional 18,384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in STERIS by 0.3% in the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 293,360 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $71,152,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $233.02 on Monday. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $197.82 and a twelve month high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $22.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.47 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $216.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.70.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share 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%. As a group, analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is 48.41%.

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.