Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Raises Stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 67.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 17,666 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,137 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,631,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 507 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Suncoast Equity Management grew its stake in STERIS by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Suncoast Equity Management now owns 3,560 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $732,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV increased its holdings in STERIS by 187.2% during the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 12,607 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,591,000 after purchasing an additional 8,218 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in STERIS by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 63,482 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $13,049,000 after purchasing an additional 5,621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its position in STERIS by 236.8% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,989 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $223.83 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.99 billion, a PE ratio of 47.52 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $213.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $223.22. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13.

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 return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. Research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the topic of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. 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. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.