New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 2,500 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 52,837 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in STERIS were worth $10,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 171.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $191,370,000 after buying an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its position in STERIS by 400.4% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,198,000 after acquiring an additional 179,829 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,251,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 2,123.2% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 113,672 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $27,574,000 after purchasing an additional 108,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $270,230,000 after purchasing an additional 96,336 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $223.41 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.95 billion, a PE ratio of 47.43 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $213.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $223.22. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $197.82 and a twelve month high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business 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 1.02%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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