Aureus Asset Management LLC Has $6.28 Million Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Aureus Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 32,817 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,892 shares during the period. Aureus Asset Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $6,277,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC now owns 4,142 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $792,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,663 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $492,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 3,071 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $567,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strong Tower Advisory Services raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 5,605 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,072,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 92.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on STE shares. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of STERIS from $197.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of STERIS from $240.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, July 17th. TheStreet upgraded shares of STERIS from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of STERIS from $206.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities increased their price objective on shares of STERIS from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.60.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE stock traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $224.00. 120,591 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 455,383. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $226.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $205.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $159.21 and a 52-week high of $254.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 183.30 and a beta of 0.85.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The medical equipment provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.14. STERIS had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 13.75%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. STERIS’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 8.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 6th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 5th. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 154.10%.

STERIS 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.