STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC

Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC decreased its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,828 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 367 shares during the quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in STERIS by 30.8% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 10,970 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 2,583 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $9,949,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in 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 worth $1,039,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth $260,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on STE shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities restated 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

STERIS Trading Down 3.7 %

Shares of STE opened at $213.16 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $197.82 and a 1-year high of $248.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.26 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $223.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $220.72.

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

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.