Financial Advocates Investment Management Sells 184 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Financial Advocates Investment Management lessened its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,335 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 184 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management’s holdings in STERIS were worth $274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $556,786,000 after purchasing an additional 17,007 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in STERIS by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $270,230,000 after acquiring an additional 96,336 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in STERIS by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 801,144 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $194,309,000 after purchasing an additional 12,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.2% in the third 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. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity at STERIS

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

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $223.13 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $212.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.51. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $197.82 and a 1-year high of $248.24. The firm has a market cap of $22.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.37 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share 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%. Analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend 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 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.