Sage Private Wealth Group LLC Purchases 61 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Sage Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,537 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 61 shares during the quarter. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in STERIS by 7,418.7% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 309,771 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $75,132,000 after purchasing an additional 305,651 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its stake in STERIS by 400.4% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,198,000 after buying an additional 179,829 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,251,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 2,123.2% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 113,672 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $27,574,000 after buying an additional 108,559 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STERIS Stock Down 0.4 %

STERIS stock opened at $223.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.46 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $212.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.43. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $197.82 and a 1-year high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.