STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Holdings Trimmed by Hantz Financial Services Inc.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lowered its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,769 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 139 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,008,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of STE. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $67,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 54.8% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 291 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS during the fourth quarter worth approximately $78,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

STERIS Stock Performance

STE opened at $221.66 on Friday. 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 cap of $21.88 billion, a PE ratio of 50.61 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $211.90 and a 200-day moving average of $224.77. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $197.82 and a 52-week high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.05%.

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.