STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Magnetar Financial LLC

Magnetar Financial LLC lowered its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 55.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 9,381 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 11,827 shares during the quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,928,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in STERIS by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $521,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in STERIS by 1.6% during the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,153 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $765,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Park Edge Advisors LLC lifted its position in STERIS by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 4,662 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $958,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its position in STERIS by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 975 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in STERIS by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,118 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Performance

STERIS stock opened at $225.48 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.87 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.40. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $197.82 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $220.73 and its 200-day moving average is $222.27.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. Equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

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.