Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,727 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 792 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 71.5% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 3,783 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $831,000 after buying an additional 1,577 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 29.1% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 15,094 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,276,000 after purchasing an additional 3,398 shares during the last quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,563,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of STERIS by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 61,732 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $13,553,000 after purchasing an additional 2,562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,684,000. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

STERIS Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:STE opened at $216.88 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $197.82 and a 1-year high of $248.24. The company has a 50-day moving average of $211.46 and a 200 day moving average of $224.77. The firm has a market cap of $21.41 billion, a PE ratio of 49.52 and a beta of 0.84.

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

STERIS Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.