Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 63,482 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 5,621 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned about 0.06% of STERIS worth $13,049,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in STERIS by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $556,786,000 after buying an additional 17,007 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,119,643 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $230,160,000 after purchasing an additional 5,419 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $133,749,000 after purchasing an additional 6,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 293,360 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $71,152,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Several research analysts have recently issued reports on STE shares. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $258.75.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on STERIS
In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.
STERIS stock traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $220.43. 412,247 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 452,560. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.80 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $197.82 and a fifty-two week high of $248.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $213.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.64.
STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.
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.
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