National Pension Service Acquires 7,574 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

National Pension Service boosted its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 159,386 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,574 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.16% of STERIS worth $38,657,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 77.9% in the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 112.7% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in STERIS during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of STERIS by 2,262.5% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other STERIS news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total transaction of $5,763,004.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,603,710. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on STE shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler raised STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $227.52 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm has a market cap of $22.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.46 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $233.17 and its 200-day moving average is $227.60. STERIS plc has a one year low of $195.47 and a one year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.00 EPS. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 56.58%.

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.