Amundi Buys 100,740 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Amundi raised its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 28.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 459,066 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 100,740 shares during the period. Amundi’s holdings in STERIS were worth $96,142,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of STE. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in STERIS by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 7,609 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,846,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $232,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $270,230,000 after purchasing an additional 96,336 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,410 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,252,000 after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at $206,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

STERIS Stock Performance

STE opened at $231.49 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $197.82 and a 52-week high of $248.24. The firm has a market cap of $22.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.15 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s fifty day moving average is $217.49 and its 200-day moving average is $222.68.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. Sell-side analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given 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 0.98%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

About STERIS

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.