Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Purchases 683 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,925 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 683 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $6,151,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of STE. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in STERIS by 400.4% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,198,000 after purchasing an additional 179,829 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in STERIS in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,251,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 2,123.2% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 113,672 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $27,574,000 after buying an additional 108,559 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 96,336 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on STE shares. Piper Sandler raised their price target on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note 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 given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, STERIS presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:STE opened at $227.51 on Thursday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $215.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.79. The company has a market capitalization of $22.35 billion, a PE ratio of 48.30 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $197.82 and a 1-year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. On average, equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 48.41%.

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.