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

Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 233.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 52,592 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,808 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $10,811,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $223,987,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in 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. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in STERIS by 400.4% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $46,198,000 after acquiring an additional 179,829 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in STERIS by 2,123.2% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 113,672 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,574,000 after purchasing an additional 108,559 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 91.1% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 222,578 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,753,000 after purchasing an additional 106,100 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on STE. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $222.99 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.34 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The business has a 50-day moving average of $222.51 and a 200 day moving average of $221.48. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $197.82 and a 12 month high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted 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 net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.