Venturi Wealth Management LLC Buys 1,439 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 78.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,276 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,439 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $673,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of STERIS by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 1.6% in the 3rd 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 boosted its holdings in STERIS by 1.1% in the 4th 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 boosted its holdings in STERIS by 5.7% in the 4th 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, Sage Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,537 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.75.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $221.52 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $213.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $223.66. 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 one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24. The company has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.03 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted 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 net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. Analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.