Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Boosts Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,632 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 908 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in STERIS by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $556,786,000 after purchasing an additional 17,007 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in STERIS by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,119,643 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $230,160,000 after buying an additional 5,419 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth approximately $223,987,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in STERIS by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 569,837 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $117,136,000 after acquiring an additional 18,384 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on STE. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.75.

STERIS Trading Down 0.9 %

STERIS stock opened at $222.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $21.85 billion, a PE ratio of 47.22 and a beta of 0.92. 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $218.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.64.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. On average, research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.41%.

STERIS 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.