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

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 7.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,738,630 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 120,616 shares during the quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD’s holdings in STERIS were worth $390,880,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in STERIS during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 77.9% in the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC raised its position in STERIS by 112.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on STE. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com raised STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 15th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $241.60.

STERIS Stock Up 2.3 %

STE traded up $5.23 on Friday, hitting $232.79. 329,376 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 405,734. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $223.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $221.85. The company has a current ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $195.47 and a twelve month high of $254.00. The company has a market cap of $23.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.94 and a beta of 0.83.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted 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 net margin of 6.95% and a return on equity of 13.73%. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jacqueline B. Kosecoff sold 4,584 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.53, for a total value of $1,061,333.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Jacqueline B. Kosecoff sold 4,584 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.53, for a total value of $1,061,333.52. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total value of $469,831.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,369 shares in the company, valued at $2,639,085.97. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,798,477. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.