STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Stake Boosted by V Square Quantitative Management LLC

V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,760 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $567,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in STERIS by 171.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in STERIS by 7,418.7% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 309,771 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $75,132,000 after purchasing an additional 305,651 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its stake in STERIS by 400.4% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $46,198,000 after purchasing an additional 179,829 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new position in STERIS during the third quarter worth $28,251,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in STERIS by 2,123.2% during the third 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 during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler raised their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $219.54 on Friday. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $197.82 and a fifty-two week high of $248.24. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $212.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $21.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.61 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its 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 return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. Equities analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio 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.