STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Bought by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV lifted its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 187.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,607 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,218 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STE. Creative Planning increased its holdings in STERIS by 1.4% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 9,019 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,187,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 25.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,387 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,005,000 after acquiring an additional 1,713 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,705 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,869,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in STERIS by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 44,912 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $10,893,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in STERIS by 1.8% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 56,085 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $13,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of STE opened at $220.43 on Friday. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $197.82 and a 52-week high of $248.24. The stock has a market cap of $21.66 billion, a PE ratio of 46.80 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $213.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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

STERIS Dividend Announcement

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 $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on STE. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was 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 directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.