Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Has $2.33 Million Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,314 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 268 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter valued at about $214,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth about $150,000. Harrell Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in STERIS by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 8,065 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,956,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its holdings in STERIS by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 9,019 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,187,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB bought a new position in STERIS in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,251,000. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on STE. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

STERIS Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of STE stock opened at $224.16 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $212.57 and a 200-day moving average of $224.46. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $197.82 and a 52-week high of $248.24. The stock has a market cap of $22.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.59 and a beta of 0.84.

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 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is 48.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.