IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Sells 121 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd trimmed its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,362 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 121 shares during the quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings in STERIS were worth $897,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $556,786,000 after purchasing an additional 17,007 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in STERIS by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,261,927 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $257,585,000 after buying an additional 172,795 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in STERIS by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,119,643 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $230,160,000 after buying an additional 5,419 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth $223,987,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 529,308 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One 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.com, STERIS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Up 0.6 %

STE stock opened at $224.35 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $222.24 and its 200 day moving average is $221.63. The firm has a market cap of $22.04 billion, a PE ratio of 47.63 and a beta of 0.92. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24. 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 (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. On average, research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 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.