STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Holdings Lifted by Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC

Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC raised its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 22,567 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $4,639,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 8.7% during the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 171.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 24.6% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,410 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,252,000 after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in STERIS by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 12,071 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,928,000 after purchasing an additional 4,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth about $9,949,000. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:STE opened at $216.88 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.41. The company has a market capitalization of $21.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.52 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $211.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.77. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $197.82 and a 52 week high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on STE. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com cut STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler raised shares of STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.