Strs Ohio Acquires 8,518 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Strs Ohio increased its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 16.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 60,496 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,518 shares during the period. Strs Ohio owned about 0.06% of STERIS worth $13,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in STERIS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,319,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC bought a new stake in STERIS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $244,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 5,199.4% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 65,925 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $14,494,000 after buying an additional 64,681 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 53,661 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $11,797,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 27.9% during the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,639 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $580,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STE has been the topic of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, April 12th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet raised STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on STERIS in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, February 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.60.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE stock opened at $198.94 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $225.64 and its 200-day moving average is $217.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $19.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.84 and a beta of 0.79. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $180.54 and a twelve month high of $254.00.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 10.48%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.02 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 8.67 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. STERIS’s payout ratio is presently 36.43%.

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.