Boston Trust Walden Corp Purchases 179,829 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 400.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 179,829 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned about 0.23% of STERIS worth $46,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 65.5% in the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 192 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of STERIS during the third quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in STERIS by 54.8% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 291 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth about $78,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

NYSE:STE opened at $218.23 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $212.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.70. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $197.82 and a 1 year high of $248.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.82 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.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.11 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 52.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on STE shares. StockNews.com downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.