Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Sells 480 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lessened its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,988 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 480 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in STERIS were worth $4,314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of STE. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in STERIS by 9.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $270,230,000 after acquiring an additional 96,336 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the third quarter valued at $223,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 551,453 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $133,749,000 after purchasing an additional 6,334 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 4.6% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,944 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,412,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the period. Finally, Nicolet Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the third quarter valued at $214,000. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on STE shares. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler increased their target price 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 reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Down 2.3 %

NYSE:STE opened at $220.34 on Monday. 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 capitalization of $21.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.78 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $221.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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