Symmetry Partners LLC Buys Shares of 1,102 STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Symmetry Partners LLC bought a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE – Get Rating) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,102 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its stake in STERIS by 6.3% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 431,406 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $71,734,000 after purchasing an additional 25,585 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 61,070 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $10,155,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 42.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,633 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 29.7% during the 3rd quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 8,837 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,469,000 after acquiring an additional 2,021 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guardian Capital LP boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 22.6% during the 2nd quarter. Guardian Capital LP now owns 9,204 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,694 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $176.56 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $195.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $185.26. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $159.21 and a twelve month high of $255.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.48.

STERIS (NYSE:STE – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.19 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. STERIS had a negative net margin of 0.58% and a positive return on equity of 12.86%. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.12 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 8.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 24th will be issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.06%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -648.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JMP Securities decreased their price target on STERIS from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 15th. TheStreet downgraded STERIS from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. StockNews.com assumed coverage on STERIS in a research note on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on STERIS from $235.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, STERIS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $232.83.

STERIS Company Profile

(Get Rating)

STERIS Plc engages in the provision of healthcare and life science product and service solutions. It operates through the following segments: Healthcare, Life Sciences, Applied Sterilization Technologies, and Dental. The Healthcare segment provides a comprehensive offering for healthcare providers worldwide, focused on sterile processing departments and procedural centers, such as operating rooms and endoscopy suites.