STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. reduced its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 19.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,857 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,153 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $998,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in STERIS by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $556,786,000 after buying an additional 17,007 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in STERIS by 9.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $270,230,000 after acquiring an additional 96,336 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 171.2% in 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. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 801,144 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $194,309,000 after purchasing an additional 12,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 732,848 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $160,889,000 after purchasing an additional 16,492 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

STERIS Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $216.88 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $197.82 and a 1 year high of $248.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $211.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.63. The company has a market cap of $21.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.52 and a beta of 0.84.

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

STERIS Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.