Strengthening Families & Communities LLC Has $2.37 Million Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 11,540 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 333 shares during the period. STERIS comprises about 1.3% of Strengthening Families & Communities LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,372,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in STERIS by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $556,786,000 after purchasing an additional 17,007 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 9.5% during 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 buying an additional 96,336 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 171.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $191,370,000 after buying an additional 529,308 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in STERIS by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 801,144 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $194,309,000 after buying an additional 12,005 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in STERIS by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 551,453 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $133,749,000 after acquiring an additional 6,334 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE opened at $224.16 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $212.57 and a 200-day moving average of $224.46. The company has a market cap of $22.13 billion, a PE ratio of 47.59 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

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

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.