STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lowered its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 68,668 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 899 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in STERIS were worth $14,048,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STE. West Coast Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. West Coast Financial LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $398,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in STERIS by 1.6% during the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,153 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $765,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Park Edge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 4,662 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $958,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 65.5% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 192 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,450 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,322,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler upgraded STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, November 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.50.

Insider Activity

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $220.84 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.42 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The business has a 50-day moving average of $212.15 and a 200 day moving average of $224.75. 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, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.11 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.05%.

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.