Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Has $3.28 Million Stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,956 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,280,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its position in STERIS by 8.7% during the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 171.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $191,370,000 after acquiring an additional 529,308 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of STERIS by 52.0% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 12,071 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,928,000 after purchasing an additional 4,132 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $9,949,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday. Piper Sandler upped their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE STE opened at $225.44 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $212.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.59. The stock has a market cap of $22.25 billion, a PE ratio of 51.47 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.41. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $197.82 and a fifty-two week high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. On average, equities analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.