STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Bought by Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 7.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,738,630 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 120,616 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned approximately 1.76% of STERIS worth $390,880,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in STERIS by 8.3% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 58,841 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $13,235,000 after acquiring an additional 4,494 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 106,346 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $23,909,000 after purchasing an additional 3,342 shares during the period. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. now owns 210,747 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,333,000 after purchasing an additional 24,377 shares in the last quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 80.0% in the 4th quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 82,312 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $18,096,000 after purchasing an additional 36,576 shares during the period. Finally, Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new stake in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth $1,351,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other STERIS news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 1,154 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.64, for a total transaction of $267,312.56. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,546,660.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total transaction of $469,831.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,639,085.97. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Renato Tamaro sold 1,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.64, for a total value of $267,312.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,677 shares in the company, valued at $1,546,660.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,798,477. 1.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

STERIS Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of STERIS stock traded up $5.23 on Friday, reaching $232.79. 329,376 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 405,734. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $195.47 and a 1-year high of $254.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 3.08 and a quick ratio of 2.36. The company has a market cap of $23.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.94 and a beta of 0.83. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $223.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.85.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.17. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.73% and a net margin of 6.95%. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.25 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 12th were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 12th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 54.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on STE shares. StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 15th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $225.00 price target (up previously from $220.00) on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, STERIS has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.60.

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.