STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Greenleaf Trust

Greenleaf Trust reduced its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,428 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 104 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in STERIS were worth $499,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 17,355 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,567,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. now owns 9,456 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,944,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,552 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in STERIS by 91.1% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 222,578 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,753,000 after acquiring an additional 106,100 shares during the period. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden lifted its holdings in STERIS by 32.3% in the fourth quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 43,400 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,921,000 after acquiring an additional 10,600 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.75.

STERIS Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $219.53 on Wednesday. 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 12-month low of $197.82 and a 12-month high of $248.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $212.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.61. The company has a market capitalization of $21.67 billion, a PE ratio of 50.12 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 52.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.