Opal Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 60 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,118 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 60 shares during the quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in STERIS by 171.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in STERIS by 7,418.7% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 309,771 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $75,132,000 after purchasing an additional 305,651 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its position in STERIS by 400.4% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $46,198,000 after purchasing an additional 179,829 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth $28,251,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in STERIS by 2,123.2% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 113,672 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $27,574,000 after purchasing an additional 108,559 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $224.16 on Tuesday. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $197.82 and a twelve month high of $248.24. The firm has a market cap of $22.13 billion, a PE ratio of 47.59 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.13. The business has a fifty day moving average of $212.57 and a 200-day moving average of $224.46.

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

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on STE. Piper Sandler raised their target price 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 set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.14% of the stock is currently 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.