Compass Ion Advisors LLC Trims Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Compass Ion Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,683 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 115 shares during the quarter. Compass Ion Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $552,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at $223,987,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake 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 buying an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in STERIS by 400.4% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,198,000 after buying an additional 179,829 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,251,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in STERIS by 2,123.2% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 113,672 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,574,000 after buying an additional 108,559 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE opened at $228.29 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $197.82 and a fifty-two week high of $248.24. The stock has a market cap of $22.43 billion, a PE ratio of 48.47 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $220.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.22.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. Analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on STE. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.75.

STERIS Company 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.