Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Sells 1,530 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB reduced its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 39,490 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,530 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in STERIS were worth $8,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 171.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $191,370,000 after buying an additional 529,308 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in STERIS by 24.6% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,410 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,252,000 after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its stake in STERIS by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 12,071 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,928,000 after buying an additional 4,132 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 4,283 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,039,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday. Piper Sandler upped their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

Insider Activity

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

STERIS Price Performance

NYSE STE opened at $223.13 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $22.03 billion, a PE ratio of 47.37 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $197.82 and a 52 week high of $248.24. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $212.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $224.60.

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

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 48.41%.

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.