Vanguard Group Inc. Trims Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,911,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 137,447 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.12% of STERIS worth $2,448,471,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 0.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $556,786,000 after buying an additional 17,007 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in STERIS by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,119,643 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $230,160,000 after acquiring an additional 5,419 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at about $223,987,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position 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 valued at $191,370,000 after acquiring an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 569,837 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $117,136,000 after purchasing an additional 18,384 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $221.57 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.04 and a beta of 0.92. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $221.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.60.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share 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%. Analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.