Dividend Assets Capital LLC Trims Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Dividend Assets Capital LLC reduced its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,105 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 202 shares during the period. Dividend Assets Capital LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,283,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of STE. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 65.5% during the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 192 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 182.7% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth about $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on STE shares. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE opened at $220.43 on Friday. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $197.82 and a twelve month high of $248.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.66 billion, a PE ratio of 46.80 and a beta of 0.84. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $213.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.64.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.