OneAscent Financial Services LLC Sells 476 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

OneAscent Financial Services LLC reduced its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 19.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,958 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 476 shares during the quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $475,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 112.7% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake 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 valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 154.7% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was 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. This represents a 35.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

STERIS Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE STE opened at $217.04 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $230.37 and its 200 day moving average is $228.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $195.47 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The stock has a market cap of $21.42 billion, a PE ratio of 49.55 and a beta of 0.85.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.05%.

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.