STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lowered its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 84,350 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 800 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in STERIS were worth $17,339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in STERIS by 9.5% during 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 in the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the third quarter valued at $5,171,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in STERIS during the third quarter valued at about $9,949,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 21.0% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 12,650 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,068,000 after acquiring an additional 2,193 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on STE shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. 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. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.75.

STERIS Trading Down 1.3 %

STERIS stock opened at $221.17 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $222.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $219.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $197.82 and a 52 week high of $248.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.96 and a beta of 0.87.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. Research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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