Blue Trust Inc. Sells 602 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Blue Trust Inc. lowered its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 64.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 339 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 602 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $70,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in STERIS during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its holdings in STERIS by 65.5% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 192 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter valued at about $67,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in STERIS during the fourth quarter valued at about $78,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 789 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on STE. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

STERIS Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $220.43 on Monday. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $197.82 and a 12-month high of $248.24. The company has a market cap of $21.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.80 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $213.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $223.33.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced 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 return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. On average, equities analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued 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 is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s payout ratio 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.