GDS Wealth Management Raises Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

GDS Wealth Management lifted its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58,243 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,088 shares during the period. GDS Wealth Management owned 0.06% of STERIS worth $11,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in shares of STERIS by 400.4% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,198,000 after purchasing an additional 179,829 shares during the period. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in STERIS by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 17,355 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,567,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. now owns 9,456 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,944,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortune Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in STERIS by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,552 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,552,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

STERIS Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $218.23 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.82 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $197.82 and a 12-month high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $212.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.70.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.05%.

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.