Equitable Trust Co. Has $2.57 Million Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Equitable Trust Co. cut its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,496 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 298 shares during the quarter. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $521,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS by 1.6% during the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,153 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $765,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Park Edge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 4,662 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $958,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,118 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,984 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STERIS Stock Up 0.4 %

STERIS stock opened at $224.16 on Tuesday. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $197.82 and a 1-year high of $248.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.59 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $212.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released 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 net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. On average, equities research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on STE shares. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.75.

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.