751 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Bought by Millstone Evans Group LLC

Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 751 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $154,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 30.8% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 10,970 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,275,000 after buying an additional 2,583 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of STERIS in the third quarter worth $9,949,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 13.2% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 4,283 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,039,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth $260,000. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on STE. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler lifted 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, February 3rd. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE opened at $220.34 on Friday. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $197.82 and a 1 year high of $248.24. The company has a market cap of $21.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.78 and a beta of 0.92. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $221.02 and a 200-day moving average of $221.97.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

STERIS Company 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.