STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Purchased by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,131,374 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,618 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in STERIS were worth $232,565,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 9.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $270,230,000 after purchasing an additional 96,336 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 13,724 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,329,000 after buying an additional 1,276 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 43,253 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $10,491,000 after buying an additional 1,053 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in shares of STERIS by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 4,283 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,039,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Eventide Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 8.6% in the third quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 143,459 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $34,795,000 after acquiring an additional 11,362 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on STE. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One 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, STERIS presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $224.35 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $222.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $221.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.40. 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 $22.04 billion, a PE ratio of 47.63 and a beta of 0.92.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. Analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

About STERIS

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.