Bailard Inc. Has $252,000 Stock Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Bailard Inc. raised its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,150 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,864,606 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,608,434,000 after acquiring an additional 53,526 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in STERIS by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,811,818 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,277,728,000 after buying an additional 77,152 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in STERIS by 7.5% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,738,630 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $390,880,000 after buying an additional 120,616 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP grew its holdings in STERIS by 23.5% during the first quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 1,485,578 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $333,988,000 after buying an additional 282,387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in STERIS by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,009,157 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $226,879,000 after purchasing an additional 32,755 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,493.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com raised STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.60.

STERIS Trading Down 0.4 %

STE opened at $235.07 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $23.18 billion, a PE ratio of 61.54 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $227.31 and a 200-day moving average of $224.12. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $195.47 and a 52 week high of $243.37.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is a boost from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. STERIS’s payout ratio is presently 54.45%.

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.